Only Ashes
by anewfoundgloryfades
Summary: An outsider moves to Charming, but she may have ties to the town and it's MC - dangerous but important ties.
1. 1: PROLOGUE

**~~**A/N**~~ Hello, readers! Welcome to my first Sons of Anarchy fanfiction! I am here to say that certain aspects of this story may follow the show's storylines, and there may be original elements. Hopefully, it won't be too terrible. Anyway, also, here is my disclaimer. I am not lucky enough to own the creative genius that Kurt Sutter had (and has) when he created Sons of Anarchy, so therefore, I own nothing in this story other than the original elements and the original parts of my two (yes two!) original characters. Happy reading!**

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

 _Dear baby girl,_

 _I hope by the time this letter gets to you that you've found a happiness that cannot be broken. My heart has been in tatters and shreds for twenty-five years, but only I am to blame for my anguish. It was I and I alone that made the decision to part with you all of those years ago. What I was thinking, I couldn't tell you. I only know that I was feeling scared and confused. I was married with two boys, your brothers, and a husband that wanted to pull from me only to come crashing back. You were a happy mistake at the time, but you were indeed a mistake, a mistake that I wanted and loved so dearly but could not keep. Things would have changed for the worst. There was so much uncertainty and danger and while I would have been able to shelter you while teaching you to be a strong woman like me, part of me felt you deserved much better than a life of looking over your shoulder. That was why I did what I did. Your father…_

"Gemma," a sandy male voice said from the doorway of the office of Teller-Morrow, Charming's most infamous automotive garage. The woman at the desk looked up slowly, her eyes half open and filled with the despair she felt as she tried her hardest to pour her heart forth onto a sheet of paper for the eighth time that afternoon. The evidence of her failed attempts sat in crumpled balls at the edge of the desk. A plume of cigarette smoke drifted from the lit stick between her left fore and middle fingers and she flipped the ashes as she peered at the young man curiously.

"Yeah?"

"She's here," he said, turning his head sideways and nodding the way out the door. Gemma's expression was blank for a moment. This beautiful boy, this boy that had been like one of her own, had done exactly what she'd asked of him; not that he wouldn't have. He had been as thick as thieves with her oldest boy and one of the other boys they ran around with. She had not expected for him to find _her_ , let alone as quick as he did, and, she did not expect him to come in and tell her that _she_ was right outside. Had he told _her_ anything? Of course not. He wouldn't have. He was the only one keeping her secret, and he knew that Gemma would rip out his heart if he spoke a word.

" _Here_ , here?" He nodded, and Gemma stood from her chair. She moved swiftly though to her it felt as if she were trying to push her legs through knee high mud. This was a surreal moment for her. This was a moment she'd wanted for twenty-five years and here it was, yet, she knew she wasn't quite ready for it. Becoming the woman she was, she knew she'd made a big mistake. It'd been so hard to live with herself, but after so long, she learned to lock up the part of herself that let her feel too much guilt.

They watched a young woman emerge from a pristine, dark blue 1975 Chevelle. It was odd to see such a small and youthful person emerge from the car, but there she was. Gemma swallowed hard and traded a wide-eyed look with the man standing to her left. She inhaled and looked outward through the door again, leaning against the frame. "Shit."


	2. 2

"Hey there, darlin'", a voice said, pulling the young woman's attention as she closed the door of her car. Her hazel eyes shifted to the tall, blonde man coming toward her. Unlike the two mechanics she saw at the end of the lot toward the open bays, he was dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt. A leather vest declaring him a Vice President, Man of Mayhem, and a Redwood Original lay over the shirt. His blue eyes twinkled a bit as he looked at her, a surveying look that she knew held more behind it. She'd been checked out by her fair share of men. "Where'd you find a car like this?" He moved around the car and she gave a glance around the area. A line of Harleys guarded the entrance to the bigger building at her back while a fence gave the garage a privacy barrier. There were other men in similar leather kuttes looking toward her, a taller one with a knit beanie and a beard stepped forward to admire with his friend.

"Shot a man in Reno, then took off with his car," she said with an indifferent tone and a slight shrug to her shoulder. The two men nearest her car paused to give her a look then the blonde finally let a smirk come to his face.

"Really?" Three men on running motorcycles rode through the gate causing a roar to wind past them. The reapers on their backs let her know exactly who they were – who they all were: The Sons of Anarchy.

"Nah, I inherited it."

"Ah huh," he sounded confused and as if he didn't quite believe her. "So, what can we do for you?"

"Are you a mechanic here, or…" she motioned the way of the garage and that's when a woman and another blonde man emerged. It would have been easy to mistake the two blonde men for brothers, but at least the one with the woman actually had a mechanic's shirt on with his name on it.

"Most of us are. I'm Jackson Teller," he stated.

"Oh. Pleasure to meet you. I wasn't sure. The leather kutte is an interesting uniform choice, though." She smiled then, a smile that eerily looked familiar to him. "I'm Bianca Whelan." It took a moment for him to study her. She pushed a stray strand of dark blond hair out of her face. A hand going on his shoulder broke his concentration and he turned his head to a gruff gray haired man.

"What's goin' on here?" the older man asked shooting the young woman a discerning look.

"Just chattin' up the customers," the blond said.

"What can we do for you, sweetheart?" the older man asked.

"I've been driving for a while. I just want to have my car serviced. It's kind of veering to the left a little bit," she said, leaning against the side of the car. The woman that had joined them stepped forward. It was a boggling situation for the young woman. She hadn't been the center of attention this way before. In fact, she did her best to remain hidden and stay out of people's way. The fact that they all basically came out to huddle around her was a bit alarming. Of course, she was driving a restored muscle car, so that could have been what the deal was.

"Hon, Deacon here will help you out with that. He'll get you fixed right up," the woman said, looking the girl over once more. Gemma's heart beat so fast in her chest as the man who shared her secret stepped forward. Her husband, the gray haired gruff man, embraced her and she was sure he could feel the pulsing against his own chest. He said nothing of the feeling. It was all in her head. Her son moved away from the car with one of his two best friends and his other approached the young woman to help her. Gemma sighed. "Come on boys, let's get a drink," she said. She'd do anything to get her son and husband off the lot right now. Luckily, none of them were known for turning down liquor.

"Are you doin' ok?" Clay asked, swiping the street grime from his face. His wife didn't usually herd them into the clubhouse to drink. Gemma kissed him and smiled.

"Never better baby, why?"

"Eh," Clay shrugged and the two of them followed the hoard into the clubhouse. Bianca watched them while the one called Deacon stayed behind to fill out a bit of paperwork on the clipboard he'd brought out with him.

"Are you part of the motorcycle gang too?" she asked, her eyes finally coming back to him. Deacon smiled a small smile from the front seat of her car.

"It's a club. Harley enthusiasts. Yeah, actually. I'm just working today is all," he got out of the car and pushed the door shut. It was strange for him to see this girl in the flesh. He'd spent eight months trying to track her down and had only seen her through surveillance photos and videos his contacts had given him. Here she was, more beautiful than he could have thought, but he knew to keep his thoughts in check. Finding her had meant so much to Gemma. She was like a mother to him, well, a second mother. His mother had maybe half of a maternal bone in her body, but that's what happens when a porn star becomes a mother before she's ready and her husband goes off to prison to leave her to raise their son almost all on her own. Deacon spent more time around the clubhouse than he did his own home.

"So, how long do you think the re-alignment will take, Deacon?" she asked, eying the patch on the left lapel of his shirt before shifting her eyes upward. He looked at her again and nodded.

"Well, it depends on how warped it is. It's kind of late today, so I'd say your car won't be ready until tomorrow. I can give you a lift home." She sighed and made a face reminiscent of a face Gemma gave him when she got frustrated. It kind of scared him and put him back in check. He was guarding her secret and in turn had taken on the task of keeping tabs on this girl while she was in town – why she was in town was still unknown.

"Alright. Guess I don't have much of a choice, huh?" He laughed.

"No, not really." She held up the keys and he held out his hand. Bianca dropped the keys and he closed his fingers around them. "Okay, wait here. Let me go let my crew know I'm leaving for a minute and have them pull your car into the bay." Bianca nodded and migrated toward the wooden picnic table to get out of his way.

* * *

 **INSIDE**

Deacon went through the door of the clubhouse, his round blue eyes searching for the Queen of the MC. He was grabbed by his sleeve and pulled sideways. "What the…"

"Where is she?" Gemma asked. After a quick assessment, Deacon was able to deduce that the men were sitting in the chapel and wouldn't easily hear the two of them converse. He relaxed a bit and fixed his sleeve.

"She's outside. I'm gonna have one of the guys pull her car into the bay while I take her home. I'll get her to talk, Gemma. We'll figure out what the hell is going on." She looked at him with grateful eyes and planted a kiss to his cheek.

"You're a good boy, Deac," he smiled.

"I try." Gemma inhaled heavily. "Have you thought about telling him?" They looked the way of the chapel. She shook her head.

"This will make too many wounds." Deacon nodded in agreement. They stood in silence for a moment while one of the Sons passed them to go outside.

"She looks just like him, ya know. Except for her eyes. She got those from you."

* * *

 **OUTSIDE**

Bianca leaned her back against the top of the table, giving a glance toward the clubhouse door when it opened. It wasn't Deacon as she expected. She shook her head and put her attention back on her shoes.

"How's it goin'?" the man that had emerged asked after lighting a cigarette.

"Fine."

"Smoke?" She looked over at him when he stepped up onto the table and sat on the top part, resting his boots beside her on the bench.

"Nah, thanks."

"What's the verdict on your car?"

"Probably be ready by tomorrow. I'm waiting for this dude to take me home. He's taking his sweet time."

"Are you in a hurry to leave?" Bianca gave a sideways glance at the man with the mohawk. She found herself intrigued that someone with that hairstyle and tattoos on his head could have such a nice smile to accompany his slightly prying question with.

"Well, I'm not really in a hurry to hang out at a garage."

"Why not? It's fun here."

"I'm sure."

"Bianca, you said your name was?" He slid down onto the bench beside her. She quirked a brow at his apparent disregard for her personal space.

"Yeah. What's your name?"

"Juice."

"Is that your real name?"

"Is Bianca your real name?" She shrugged.

"It's the name I gave myself." Juice looked perplexed by this, but before he could inquire further Deacon came out of the clubhouse – his kutte in place on his torso. "Oh lord."

"You ready?" Deacon asked, curiously looking between her and Juice.

"I supposed with that kutte on we're taking your bike?" she said, standing up.

"Is that okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Juice, will you pull the Chevelle into the bay for me?" Deacon asked before he tossed the other man the keys and turned to take Bianca to the line of Harleys.

"You ever been on a motorcycle before?" Juice asked, pulling her attention back to him before Deacon could lead her completely away. Bianca turned slightly to answer.

"Once or twice." She smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"You too." Deacon walked her to his bike and handed her a helmet before her got on and put on his own helmet. Bianca strapped the head guard on and climbed onto the bike behind him.

"Just a question, do you always take clients home on your bike?" Deacon started it up and it roared beneath them for a moment. He pivoted slightly and smiled.

"Only the cute ones that seem like they could handle it." Bianca shook her head, but smiled as she held onto his muscular torso. "Where to?"

"You know where Water Ridge is? 2433. It's a gray and brick house." Deacon had to hide the surprise that washed over him and the sudden flop in his stomach. He'd screwed up his surveillance somewhere. Eight months of work and he'd tracked her up to Lodi and then lost her, but at that point, they knew she was coming to Charming; or at least passing through. She'd actually moved into a house, on that _street._ Come to think of it…

"Yeah. Funny story, my boss lives across the street, so I know exactly where it's at." Bianca bit down on her lip.

"Great."

He pushed the kickstand up. "Hold on." He already had too much to tell Gemma. What the hell else could he get out of this woman?

* * *

 **~~**A/N**~~ CAST NOTE: Bianca Whelan is played by Hayden Panettiere and Deacon Delaney is played by Mike Vogel.**


	3. 3

The house sat moderately back from the street, a brick and gray stone barrier separating the house from the short walkway leading from the sidewalk. The garage protruded outward, and it was open to unload the moving truck the sat backward in the driveway. Deacon watched two male movers walking back and forth between the truck and the house, but his eyes turned to the left and he looked at Gemma's house. This was going to be tough to explain to the woman. He couldn't even imagine her reaction he just knew it wouldn't go over well. He also knew that this would affect her in such a way that it would start to bleed out and she wouldn't have a choice but to tell Clay and Jackson – unless she fought through it. He'd seen her struggle with her secret ever since she'd come to him with it. He had doubts that his strong den mother could hold onto herself much longer now that this girl was in town.

He pulled his bike to a halt in front of the house and shut it off. Deac pushed the kickstand down and unlatched the strap to his helmet. Bianca put her hand on his shoulder and pushed herself off of the Harley. "Thanks," she said, taking the helmet off and handing it toward him.

"No problem. I take it you're not from here." He motioned toward the moving truck.

"Oh, nope. I'm from Los Angeles."

"What in the blue blazes of hell are you doing here then?" Deac shook his head and laughed.

"I needed a change. Plus, I found a job here."

"Yeah? What do you do?" Bianca smirked. "What?"

"Do you interrogate your clients too?"

"I'm just being friendly. You're new to town. It wouldn't hurt to have a friend, would it?" After a moment of considering her answer, the girl seemed to soften.

"I'm a paralegal." Deacon nodded. It was an interesting choice, to say the least. A dark Cadillac slowly approached and paused beside them and Deacon knew he wouldn't have to tell Gemma anything back at the clubhouse. The two of them peered at her as she looked through the open passenger side window at them. "Boss lady?" He nodded his answer to Bianca.

"Hey," he said to Gemma.

"Hey," she said with indifference, "waiting for me?"

"No. This is where she lives." He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. Gemma then narrowed her eyes and looked at Bianca before nodding.

"It's a nice place, sweetheart," she said. Bianca nodded. "Deac, before you leave, stop by the house."

"Yes, m'am." Gemma pulled into her own driveway then and the two of them watched her disappear inside before putting their attention back on each other. "You want some help unpacking?"

"What?" His question caught her off guard. "Oh, no. It should be fine. There's not much to unpack. The bulk of what's in the truck is furniture and it looks like they've got that already out."

"I feel weird leaving you here with two strange guys all up in your house." She laughed softly.

"So you want to come in and make it three?" He couldn't help but to laugh at her comment.

"Well, we're in the friend-zone now. I'm no stranger." Bianca nodded and smiled.

"Riiiiiight." The loud door of the truck slammed and she turned to look in the direction of her driveway. "Oh, look. They're finished. It should be okay now. I can just send them off. They've got to get back to L.A., anyhow." Deacon still looked wary. His attempt to stay in her company as long as possible was fleeting, simply because his biggest weakness was trying to stay at an arm's length with her and not seem too pushy.

"Okay, well, I'll at least hang around until they're gone. I'll just be over here at Gemma's for a minute."

"Gemma is her name?"

"Yeah, why?" Deac felt his face flush and the only thought he could muster was _Oh God…_

"New neighbor. It'd be nice to know at least one."

"Got it. Alright, well, I'll give you a call as soon as your car is ready." Bianca gave him a friendly slap to the shoulder blade before she started backing up the walkway.

"Thanks, Deacon." She finally turned to tend to her own business. He stayed put on the bike long enough for the movers to leave before he went into Gemma's. Bianca had gone into her own house by them. Upon entry into the kitchen, he called out Gemma's name.

"Come here, kid," she called from the dining room table. Deacon approached and crossed over the barrier, halting when the gun got pointed into his stomach. He looked at her as she sat there, armed and dangerous. She casually took a hit off of a joint before she offered it toward Deacon. Normally, he might have taken it, but at the moment, she seemed a little pissed at him, so he didn't want to move too much.

"Why are you holding me at gunpoint?"

"What did you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you tell her? Did you contact her behind my back?"

"Of course not! I wouldn't do that to you!"

"Well then what in the hell is she doing in Charming?! What the hell is she doing living across the street from me?!"

"I haven't gotten that far yet. She's a bit closed up. I don't know if she's naturally that way, or if it's me. All I got out of her is that she's from Los Angeles and found a job here. She's a paralegal."

"Which means she works at Rosen's firm, which means she can do all the goddamn digging she wants!" He shook his head.

"That's not true. This could all just be a giant coincidence. I know I lost her up to Lodi. That was my fault. I didn't know she was coming to settle in Charming and I'm sorry. I'm trying to help you, but maybe you could go work some Mama Teller magic on her. She might need help unpacking. Some girl talk?" Gemma looked thoughtful and then she looked defeated. She finally lowered the gun from Deacon and set it on the table. He relaxed a bit. "I don't understand what's going on either, or how you're feeling. Maybe it's divine intervention, you wanting to reach out and her just happening to come here. It makes it easier. In the end, this is what you wanted isn't it?"

"I figured I could start with a letter," she said flatly, flipping the ashes of the joint and finally handing it to him. He sat in the chair beside her.

"Look, this is what I know and what I can conclude. She goes by Bianca Whelan. She says she's from Los Angeles, so maybe that's where she grew up. I couldn't get any paperwork on her from the system. It's all locked down. Plus, she's been out for seven years or longer depending on adoption. I couldn't get hold of that either. My reach doesn't go that far. She's a paralegal, but by the looks of her car and being able to afford that house in this neighborhood, there's another source of income. I don't think paralegals make that much."

"And your handsome face couldn't get anything else out of her," Gemma smirked and shook her head.

"Maybe I'm not her type. She could like boobs, like the rest of us." He got a playful slap upside the head for that. Deacon stood then. "I can try again tomorrow, but I really think you being a neighborly woman should go formally introduce yourself. It might help a little."

"I don't know if I can."

"You're goddamn Gemma Teller-Morrow! You can do anything." He kissed her cheek. "Ill be at TM for a while if you need me." She sighed and Deacon left. Gemma got up from the table and caught her reflection in the window pane. She scoffed.

"Pussy," she said to herself before heading for the kitchen door.

* * *

Bianca hummed softly to herself as she pushed around boxes with her legs. Some were too heavy to lift and she had to think twice about calling Deacon into the house to help her when she heard his bike start out front. He was nice, but seemed a little prying. However, it was a small town and she understood how insiders could be curious about the outsiders, so she gave him a free pass. Plus, he was cute. "Hello?" a voice pulled the young woman from her thoughts and she looked the way of the screen door. She saw Gemma standing there.

"Hi," Bianca said curiously.

"I'm Gemma. Came to see if you needed any help."

"Oh, I think, I'm okay…"

"Two is better than one. We can knock those boxes out of here in no time." Gemma insisted and despite Bianca's hesitance, she went to the screen door and let the woman in. Gemma took a moment to look around the place. "This is nice. You staying here alone?"

"Yeah, just me," Bianca said, going back to rummaging through the boxes.

"How'd your family take you moving to a new town all by yourself?" Gemma grabbed at the first box she saw and opened it.

"I don't have any family. It's just me." The older woman paused.

"Everyone's got family." Bianca shook her head and looked up at her.

"I was put up for adoption when I was a baby. I stayed in the system my whole life."

"No one ever adopted you?" The young girl shook her head, though Gemma could see a sad look on her face. "Why not?"

"I don't know. Luck of the Irish, I guess."

"If you were never adopted, where'd your name come from?"

"One of my foster mothers. She was the nicest one I had, so I legally changed my name a few years ago. Before that it was generic. Sarah Smith." For a long time, Bianca was quiet. Gemma watched her as the two of them unpacked, but the girl seemed to be thinking hard.

"I'm sorry, darlin'. I didn't mean to pry."

"It's not that. I mean, it's okay. It's just…" she sighed. "I have this syndrome. It's a memory thing. Sometimes things just play through my mind without me wanting it to and I have to let it while I try to focus on what I'm doing. It's pretty annoying, actually."

"Syndrome?" Gemma sounded overly concerned now.

"It's called Hyperthymesia. I'm not a typical case, but it's still really annoying."

"What is it?"

"I remember everything." The older woman felt her heart palpitate a little.

"Everything?"

"Details, events, pictures, people. From as far back as birth." Gemma inhaled slowly. "Some memories are better than others." She nodded.

"That must be hell."

"Sometimes." The two women were quiet again. "So, would you like to tell me why you gave me up for adoption?"

"What?"

"My first memory is of your face. You seemed happy in that memory, so I've spent twenty-five years trying to figure out why my birth mother tossed me to the system that took me three hundred miles away from her." Gemma looked on the verge of tears and Bianca felt a little bad for being so aggressive in the delivery, but ever since arriving at Teller-Morrow, she'd been trying to play dumb. Deacon being so persistent, and then Gemma, only proved that they were on edge about her being close by and Bianca now wanted to now why. She moved around the boxes and motioned Gemma toward the sofa where the two of them sat down. "I'm sorry, this isn't how I pictured this."

"How did you picture it?"

"Less brash, I suppose. I didn't mean to get on the defensive. It's just, you and that Deacon guy seemed to be a little disturbed by me being here. He's not my dad is he?" Gemma was stunned enough to laugh.

"Honey, did he look old enough to be your dad?"

"No, that's why I was a little worried."

"No. He's just been helping me track you down for the past eight months. He's the only one around here that knows about you."

"So my dad…" Gemma shook her head. "He's dead?"

"No, sweetie. He just doesn't know about you."

"Why?" A sigh escaped through Gemma's lips and she rubbed her face before she sat back with her shoulders slumped.

"I was married to another man when I got pregnant with you. My husband John was away when I cheated on him with Clay. And, once I started to show, I took a vacation from Charming."

"That's a long vacation."

"Yes, well, if you understood the dynamic of the MC, you'd know that it's not all that unusual."

"So, is John the man that was at the garage?"

"No, John died in 1993, after my youngest son passed. Thomas."

"I had a brother." Bianca closed her eyes and let that soak in for a moment.

"You have another. Jackson. He's your brother."

"Who is Deacon to you? Why is he the only one that knows about me aside from you?"

"Deacon is like a son to me. He ran around with Jackson and Opie since they were kids. He's just good at tracking people down, so I asked him to help me."

"Why'd you wait so long?"

"I started to think about everything in a different perspective. Jackson's ex-wife is pregnant with my first grandson. I got to thinking about what it would be like if he went into the system and I just…I wanted to find you. I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry and I didn't do what I did because I didn't want you. I did."

"Why didn't you just tell John then?"

"He would have killed Clay. Maybe me. Maybe you."

"He was that bad of a man?" Gemma shook her head.

"No, but I eventually convinced myself of that."

"Clay is my dad then. Where is he?"

"At the garage right now." Bianca thought for a minute.

"Wait, the man I saw you with earlier. That is Clay?" Gemma nodded. "So you wound up with Clay in the end and he still doesn't know he has a daughter?"

"That's right." Bianca's eyes teared up then and she stood up. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I really am." The blond stood with her back to Gemma for a minute or two. "Is this why you came to Charming? To find me?"

"I got tired of being alone. I knew I had you. I was able to do my own digging and locate you. I moved here on a whim hoping you'd want to see me. I realize it was a bit of a psychotic thing to do." Gemma let out a laugh and stood up.

"A little, but that's the Morrow blood in you." Gemma pulled Bianca to her in an embrace; the very first mother and daughter embrace she'd experienced with her daughter.

"What happens now? Do you want me to leave so he never knows? I don't want to inadvertently rat you out." The older woman felt a surge of pride rush through her as she smoothed her fingers through her daughter's blond hair.

"I don't know, baby. We'll figure it out." All these years, Gemma has over dramatized this moment; thought the worst. Miraculously, her daughter was more laid-back than she could have ever imagined. It was the other part of the equation that would be hard to deal with.


	4. 4

"Where have you been? I thought you'd be here when I got home." Clay said when Gemma walked into their bedroom. She'd spent more time at Bianca's than she had planned to, but amazingly, since the girl knew who she was it was as though a weight had been lifted from Gemma's chest. However, walking into her house and seeing Clay there only put the weight back on. Their daughter was down to earth, understanding, smart as hell, beautiful, and while Gemma didn't necessarily want her anywhere near the life in Charming, she couldn't shake the feeling that the girl was exactly what was needed at the moment. The only problem she was having at the moment was how she was going to approach the subject to tell Clay. She _had_ to.

"I was across the street." Gemma said, going to her cockatoo's cage.

"Why?" Clay said, obviously baffled.

"That girl from the garage this afternoon." Gemma let out a fake laugh. "She's our new neighbor."

"Really?" he said in a skeptically gravelly voice.

"Yeah, I went across to see if she needed any help unpacking, and then stayed to help. She's such a sweet girl."

"And the talk of the clubhouse. There's at least three of the boys that'll be all up on that if she comes around again." Gemma wrinkled her nose and turned toward the bed where Clay sat.

"Who?"

"Tig," Gemma rolled her eyes.

"Of course."

"Juice and Jax shared a few words about her ass." The woman couldn't help but to shudder. Perhaps she needed to rush her confession in order to protect her son and daughter from each other. Well, her daughter from her son. Bianca knew Jackson was her brother, but Jackson would feel betrayed as it is. She didn't need to add the embarrassment of him having tried to bed his sister on top of that. Maybe she should have started with telling him.

"Speaking of, I need to call Jax. There's something I want to talk to the two of you about." She pulled her phone from her pocket and sent a text to her son.

"What is it?"

"I'd rather talk to you two together."

"Gemma, what's going on?"

"Clay, just go with me on this. Jesus. Impatient ass." Clay let out a chuckle as Gemma stepped toward him at the side of the bed. She closed her phone and put it back in her pocket. She climbed on top of him then, sliding down his body. "We've got a little while," she said huskily.

"So let's not waste it, eh?" Clay said with a grin.

* * *

"Ma?" Jax said, coming through the kitchen of his mother's house. After a moment, Gemma and Clay both emerged from the hall. Thirty minutes ago, he'd sent her a text back saying he'd drop by, and here he was in the early hours of the evening; starving, so he backed up to go to the fridge. It was reminiscent of his days as a youth. Gemma saw him as Clay took his seat at the head of the table. She might have felt her heart warm at having her son act like a normal teen rummaging through her fridge if she wasn't scared shitless of what was about to happen in her dining room. "What's goin' on?" Jax asked, coming back with his food and sitting to Clay's left, the same position he usually sat at the church table in the clubhouse.

"Okay, well, there's something I wanna talk to the two of you about." She said, wrapping her fingers around the back of the dining room chair. She sighed heavily and shook her head. "God damn."

"Jesus, mom. Are you all right?" Jax said, his concern for his mother oozing through his tone.

"I honestly don't know. I just…okay. I've had something to tell you both for a long time. I've never been able to figure out a way how to do it."

"Gemma," Clay gave her a look as if to tell her to just come out with it. Slowly, she sat down.

"Fine. You remember when you and John were going through that rough patch with the club and he took off to Vegas for a few months?" Clay nodded. "Jax, you were just a kid then. Tommy was just a baby. I was feeling disconnected from your father and Clay was there to help me through a tough time…"

"Jesus Christ. Did you cheat on dad with Clay?" Jax asked, clenching his jaw muscles. Gemma nodded.

"It was only once." Clay exhaled and shook his head.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he asked.

"I got pregnant, Clay." The three of them fell into a silence then. Clay stared at his wife blankly. "I wanted to tell you, but there was never a right time and I knew you wouldn't want John raising a kid that was yours and he wouldn't let you, or me, live if he knew the truth."

"What happened to the kid, Gemma?" Clay asked sternly. Gemma lit a cigarette and rubbed her forehead with her fingers for a minute.

"I went on the sabbatical when I started to show."

"I remember that vacation. You said Grandpa was sick so you had to go take care of him." Jax chimed in.

"Right, but it was just to finish out the pregnancy."

"What happened to the kid, Gemma?!" Clay asked with a raised voice. Gemma looked at him as if he had asked the most ridiculous question ever. Naturally, he had every right to be upset.

"I gave her up for adoption."

"Her?" Both of the men asked.

"Yes, her. I let her go twenty-five years ago, and then today she rolls up into Teller-Morrow and come to find out, she's moved in across the street." Clay turned his head the way of the window behind him. Jax raised a brow and stood. He closed the distance between himself and the window and peered out.

"Wait, that girl with the Chevelle? That's her?" Jax asked.

"Yes, Bianca is her name."

"Does she know?" Clay asked, his voice lower now. The fact that he spoke with an even demeanor scared Gemma more than if he would have sat there and screamed at her.

"She does. She only knew me at first. She has this syndrome," Jax turned around to listen, "it allows her to remember everything. It's very rare and she's not even a typical case. She came looking for me. She knows you are her father and that Jax, you are her brother. She knows about the situation when she was born. She just…she was never adopted. She's had a rough time in the system. She wasn't completely open about everything, but she was very clear about one thing: she got tired of being alone. That's why she came looking for me. This poor girl put everything into the hope that her birth mother would want to see her."

"This is fucked up," Jax said.

"I know. It's a shock and it'll be hard to adjust to. I hope both of you can forgive me for this, but I honestly thought it was the right thing to do at the time."

"You're out of your damn mind! Aren't you the one always preachin' about family? And you gave up one of your kids? Just because you couldn't keep your pussy put away?" Gemma got up and slapped Jackson. He chewed the inside of his lip and gave her a look to kill. Then, he left. Gemma closed her eyes and turned back to her chair.

"What do we do about this?" Clay asked

"What do you mean?"

"You think the club needs to know about this shit?" he said through gritted teeth.

"I want her around Clay! I want to know her. I want you and Jackson to know her! She's our daughter!"

"She's an outsider!" He stood up. "We don't know nothin' about her! And that so called syndrome could be a problem or a ploy." Gemma shook her head.

"Look, I know that you think…"

"She's not a little kid!"

"But she's impressionable! All she's wanted is family! You think that won't work in our favor?"

"She's a goddamn outsider, Gemma!" He pointed harshly at her. "And that's on you." Without another word, Clay walked out of the house the way her son had. A minute passed before the roar of a second bike started. Gemma knew both men were gone then. She could only hope that they'd eventually come back to her.


	5. 5

Bianca's head popped out of her pillow at the sound of the pounding at the other side of the house. The sun shone brightly through her window, telling her that the night was far gone. How much of the day had gone by? She rolled over and picked up her phone, seeing three missed calls and a few text messages. It was barely after noon, but seeing those missed calls meant that the garage was probably done with her car. The pounding sounded again and she heard her name called. She finally huffed and pulled herself from bed, grabbing her silky robe to cover her torso on the way. "Who is it?" she called rudely as she pulled open the front door. Juice stood on the other side.

"Hey, sorry," his eyes went over her body at that point. Her robe hung slightly open where she lazily tied it, and her bare legs were tanned and toned. He turned slightly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt or anything, it's just…you didn't answer when Deacon called you about your car. So, he told me to bring it over and check on you. He wanted to, but he had to do something else." Bianca listened to him fumble over his words as she looked beyond him at the tow truck in her driveway. Her car now sat nearest her own garage. "But yeah, I'll give you your keys and you can get back to doin' your thing…"

"Sleeping?"

"Huh?" Juice turned toward her then. "You were sleeping?"

"I was up late last night unpacking. I was still in bed. That's why I didn't answer. I didn't hear the phone. I'm not in the middle of a sex romp. If I was, it probably wouldn't have been me that answered the door." He pondered for a moment.

"That's true, I guess." She pushed open the screen door, and he handed over the keys to the car. Her fingertips brushed his in the process, giving him pause.

"You wanna come in? I'll write a check for you." She let go of the door and he had no choice but to grab it and follow her in as she moved away from the door.

"Actually, there was no charge on the invoice." Bianca paused and turned to face him.

"Why? Was there no work done?"

"No, there was. I did it myself. It's just that, upper management gave you a gratuity. Ya know, hoping for your customer loyalty and all that."

"Oh." Juice nodded and looked around her living room. "Coffee?" He had to think about it for a minute. While he didn't exactly drink coffee on the regular, who was he to decline the offer of this beautiful woman who seemed completely comfortable with him in her house?

"Uh, sure." Bianca smiled and went into the kitchen. Juice followed behind her and grabbed a seat at the kitchen island. "This is a nice place you got here. You a trust fund baby?" She had to laugh as she made the coffee in her coffee pot. There was nothing else in the house but the drink. She definitely had some errands to run today.

"Not quite. I'm just a paralegal."

"No shit? How'd you afford this place?" He smiled when she looked over her shoulder. "I mean, sorry. None of my business, right?"

"Right, but if you really want to know, I inherited a bit of money from an old foster parent that took a liking to me."

"Like the car?"

"Yup." She turned to set the cup of coffee on the counter in front of him. "Sorry. No cream or sugar right now."

"No problem." Bianca leaned on the counter across from him and took a sip from her cup. His sitting on the stool allowed her to stand at her five feet, two stature and almost be eye to eye with him.

"How long have you been in Charming, Juice?" He tilted his head a little bit.

"How do you know I'm not a native?"

"You have an accent."

"Oh. It's that obvious, huh?"

"I'm from Los Angeles. I've heard a ton of accents. Yours is easy to pick up on. New York City?" He nodded.

"I've been here for a long while. How come you moved from Los Angeles? This is kind of a shitty place to move to, you know, considering your millions of other options."

"It was small and quaint. Plus, I found a job here." He shook his head.

"Still a hell of a place to land."

"Well, you landed here. You seem okay."

"Do I?" Juice smiled a bright smile then.

"Uh huh." His phone rang in his pocket and Bianca stood up straight.

"I should probably get back."

"You're probably right. They're most likely wondering where their tow truck is."

"Yeah, I think you're right." Juice hopped off of the stool. "Thanks for the coffee."

"No problem." She walked with him to the front door. "Thanks for fixing my car and bringing it to me." Juice stepped out the front door and Bianca stepped onto the stoop to watch him leave.

"I'll see you around?"

"I hope so," was all she could say. She wasn't even sure if she was staying in town at this point. It depended on how things went with Gemma. The thought of the woman drew Bianca's eyes toward the house across the street. Gemma rocked in one of the rockers on her patio, smoking. After the women made eye contact, Bianca was waved over. She nodded, and then tilted her head the way of the tow truck as if to tell her mother she'd be over once Juice was gone. Bianca turned her eyes to the truck and waved, though if he saw her or not was a different story. His back was to her, she thought. He pulled out of the driveway and she went inside to put on real clothes.

* * *

Gemma snuffed out her cigarette butt in the ashtray on the table next to the rocker as she watched Bianca walk across the street. The girl cleaned up pretty quickly and, thankfully, dressed low key. Gemma saw her attire yesterday, but it was a bit dressed up. Perhaps, she wanted to make a good first impression. Today, Bianca looked like Gemma's daughter; dark wash jeans, a dark red camisole covered by a tailored black button up shirt. She sported some spiked shoes that Gemma fell kind of envious of. Bianca had the blond hair of her father, along with some of his facial features, but she surely saw herself in the young woman.

"What's with the Puerto Rican leaving you scantily clad? Over for a little afternoon delight?" Gemma said. "Fast worker there, girl."

"What?" Bianca laughed and shook her head. "No. He brought my car to me. I didn't answer the phone when Deacon called, so he had Juice bring the car and check on me." She eyed Gemma. "But you already know all of this." Gemma shrugged

"Small town."

"Small circle. Or, triangle."

"Actually, as of right now, we're a pentagon." Bianca looked at her mother for a moment before sitting down in the rocker beside her.

"Shit. You told them." Gemma nodded. "How'd it go?"

"Well, neither of us is dead. Yet."

"That's reassuring."

"Welcome to life in Charming, baby." Bianca sighed and rocked, resting her head against the back of the chair. "What do you have planned today? Work?"

"No, I don't start at the office until next week."

"Good. Then you can help me today."

"Help you with what?"

"I'm having a family dinner tonight. I need to go to the market. I want you to be part of it."

"I don't think that's a good idea. You're kind of pushing it a little fast, aren't you?"

"Sweetie, trust me. Everything we're doing is at the right speed. You need to be at our table tonight."

"If you really think it's a good idea."

"It's a terrible idea, but it needs to be done. Besides, Deacon will be there."

"To play referee?"

"To make googly eyes at you."

"That's not uncomfortable or anything."

"Do you like chicks, Bee?" Gemma turned her head to look at her daughter. Bianca laughed.

"No. Deacon's cute." Bianca looked at Gemma. "I think it's funny that you're already talking about the idea of one of those guys with me. It's very motherly of you."

"I've been a mother for a long time. Besides, I'd rather it be one of those guys than an outsider."

"But, I'm an outsider." There was something about the way she said those words that crept down Gemma's spine. Was this all a game? Was it all fake? Bianca was indeed her daughter. Gemma could tell just by looking at her, but had she come to town under false pretenses? Perhaps Clay had been on to something.

"Oh, baby. Not anymore. You're family."


	6. 6

"You eat meat, right?" Gemma asked, pausing her shopping cart at the checkout counter. Bianca nodded.

"Yeah, why?"

"Just checkin'. I didn't get anything to accommodate a vegetarian. We've got one at the garage, but he deals with it."

"Oh, yeah. We're good." Bianca helped Gemma put the groceries onto the belt and was silent while the transaction went down. The thought of being in a room with Gemma and the whole MC plagued her mind ever since the woman had expressed her desire for wanting the girl there. Was she ready for this? Not by a long shot. She suddenly went from having no one to having someone and others by association. It was all a bit overwhelming. Plus, there had been something about Gemma's answers about how her confession went that put Bianca (rightfully) on edge.

"Let's roll," Gemma said after she'd paid. Bianca followed her out, doing her best to get by two brawny looking men that took their sweet time looking the two women over as they passed each other coming in and going out of the store. Bianca briefly made eye contact with one, and dropped her gaze quickly, but not before spotting a "pro-white" tattoo on the arm of one of them. It almost made her scoff aloud, but she stayed close to Gemma, feeling her stomach flip when she saw Clay and Jackson waiting near the woman's car when they went outside.

"Hey, baby," Clay said to Gemma. If he'd noticed Bianca, it hadn't seemed to shake him much. The girl made eye contact with her half-brother before she turned the way of their mother's car. The trunk opened and Bianca started loading the groceries in.

"Hi," Gemma said, allowing herself to be hugged by her husband. She too was a little wary of the man at this point. "What are my boys up to?"

"Just doing a little riding," Clay stated his answer to remain vague since there was someone new amongst them. His gaze turned to Bianca as she lifted a beer case into the trunk. Jax hopped off his bike then to grab the other one.

"Lift weights?" Jackson asked her with a smirk as he loaded the case into the car. Bianca looked up at him and smiled softly.

"Oh you know, three hundred here, five hundred there," she said. Jax laughed.

"Right." Bee nodded and took hold of the cart.

"Gemma, I'm gonna take this back inside." She disappeared toward the store, waving toward Deacon and Juice who sat in line with the other bikers in front of Gemma's car.

"I'm having a family dinner tonight," Gemma declared.

"That's good," Clay interrupted, "because the rest of Samcro is eager to get to know my daughter."

"What?" Gemma looked surprised. "You told the guys?"

"Jackson did in a fit of fury, but it was bound to come out. At least this way, everyone is privy to the new girl hanging around, even if we don't know her deal yet." Jackson shut the trunk of the car and leaned against the back of it, watching his mother and step-father converse.

"So, you two want her there?"

"She's family, right?" Gemma nodded, "our blood. We've got to start instilling the desire to be loyal."

"Besides, unburdening you unburdens us and lets us concentrate on other things." Jackson added.

"Like what?" Gemma inquired.

"Like pusing Darby's crew out of Charming." Clay answered.

"Again?"

"We had to go up to one of the meth houses. He wasn't there, but it was definitely his. The son of a bitch just won't take a hint."

* * *

"Hey there, sweetheart," Bianca pushed the cart back into the corral inside as the voice sounded. She didn't dare look in the direction it came from. She decided to ignore it as if she hadn't realized he was talking to her in the first place. She continued toward the door, but one stepped in her way. "I'm talking to you, sweetie." Bee finally looked up at him.

"Oh, excuse me. My name isn't sweetheart or sweetie, so I didn't know."

"What is your name then?" She looked beyond him, out the window then turned her eyes to him.

"I've got to go," she said, feeling uncomfortable with these two men leering down at her. Bianca moved around the man then, but he followed her out of the store, grabbing her elbow to halt her. It was a triggering movement, and before she could think clearly, she was whirling around and whipping her palm upward into the man's nose. His nose broke and he let go of her to step back with a pain filled growl before he reached for something behind his back. She was too stunned to react, but weapons came over her shoulders and she forced herself to look each direction. Jax stood to her left with his gun drawn, and Clay was at her right with his own weapon trained on the two men in front of them. The other Sons stood in a staggered row behind the men. Gemma evened her breathing watching the scene.

"Don't put your hands on my sister again," Jax said through clenched teeth.

"Say, you're the guys we've been looking for." Clay stated. "It's a shame what happened to your house while you were down here hustling my kid. You should probably tell Darby that fires can spread real easy."

"Don't know what you're talking about," the man with the bloody nose spat.

"You know exactly what he's talkin' about," Tig said, pulling the men's attention to their backsides. "You best head back to Lodi."

"That's right. If I catch you anywhere near Charming again, I won't be so kind," Clay advised. The men hesitated, but took off. The Sons were able to relax and Jackson and Clay holstered their weapons. The older of the two turned toward the girl. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for backing me up." Bianca watched the Sons turn back toward their bikes, Deacon giving her a concerned expression and Juice just watching her for a moment.

"You'll be at dinner tonight, yeah?" She looked up at the man that was her father, finally making proper eye contact with him.

"If you think it's a good idea."

"Of course. It's a family dinner."

"Okay. Yeah," Clay nodded and moved back to Gemma to say his departing words. Bianca's gaze went to Jackson.

"That was a serious punch," he said.

"He put his hands on me," she defended.

"He did. He barely got what he deserved, but seeing as how we're here in front of God and everyone, he got off easy. Where'd you learn to hit like that?"

"You ready to go, Bee?" Gemma asked. Bianca welcomed the interruption. She turned the way of Gemma's car.

"Yeah."

"Alright. I'll see you boys tonight!" Gemma called, getting into the car with Bianca.


	7. 7

"What's the deal with the girl? You were pissed at the clubhouse and now you're just okay with all of this?" Tig asked Clay as the two of them dismounted their bikes in Clay's driveway. The other guys lined their bikes up along the street.

"Just tryin' to keep my old lady happy," Clay said sarcastically.

"Yeah, right."

"Look, this way we get a line in her. See what she's all about."

"You really think she's shady?"

"Coming up out of nowhere with a flimsy ass story? Yeah, I think there's something to look into." It took Tig a moment, but he finally nodded, not daring to go against his lifelong friend and MC president.

"Alright." Clay led the men inside to join the women who were preparing their dinner. Most of the woman had gone already; Crow eaters that Gemma allowed in the house long enough to help out. "Ladies," Tig said upon entrance.

"There they are," Gemma said with a smile when Clay put his hand on her waist and kissed her cheek. "I hope you guys are hungry. We got a little carried away with the food."

"I'm always hungry," Clay said, shooting a glance toward the way of the dining room where their good friend Luann was setting a dish down. "Where's the kid?"

"Poor thing. She got knocked on her ass by the last bit of weed you gave me. She was so upset this afternoon. She helped out a little, but I could tell something was wrong, so we sat down and smoked a bit." Gemma sighed. "She wouldn't open up, but I can't help but feel that our baby went through hell and I feel so guilty." Clay nodded.

"She's here now. We won't let anything else happen to her, right?" He did his best to comfort his wife, though he was still on the defense about this new person just showing up in their lives. In spite of the fact that she was their daughter (or claimed to be) Clay couldn't help but feel that there was something else going on. Of course, he could have been being paranoid, but was it such a bad thing to be cautious?

"Hey," Jackson said, using his foot to shake the sofa where Bianca lay. She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes slowly to look up at him. "You better not lay there like that for too much longer. Tig might start getting Necro feels."

"Ha. Ha." Tig said, sitting down at the kitchen table and eyeing Jax through the open half wall that separated the dining room from the living room. Bianca rubbed her face.

"I won't even ask," she said, sitting up. She groaned in the process. "Jesus. What was in that weed?"

"Oh, you got a hit of the good chronic, huh? Don't smoke much?" He was smiling down at her. Bianca lazily smiled for a moment as she released her mussed ponytail and ran her fingers through her hair.

"No, not really." Juice sat half way on the arm of the sofa and Bianca glanced in his direction. "Hey."

"Hey," he said. Jackson looked between the two.

"How long have you guys been here?"

"We just got here. About to sit down and eat. Are you gonna join us?" her brother asked her.

"Yeah. In just a minute." Jackson retreated back to the dining room and Bianca stood up.

"You okay?" Juice asked her.

"Fine. You?" He nodded. As she walked by, she kissed his cheek. "Thanks for checking." The action seemed to both baffle and flatter him. Juice couldn't help but to smile.

"No problem." He stood up to follow her into the dining room. Luann placed her arm around Bianca then.

"How you feelin' sweetie?" she asked.

"Better. Thanks."

"Feel like eating?" Bianca gave a shrug and a slight nod.

"There she is," Clay said with a smile as he joined the table with Gemma.

"Hi, baby," her mother said, motioning to the chair beside her. Bianca moved to the chair and sat down. Deacon sat down to her right. Bianca turned her head to look at him and was greeted with what she guessed was his flirtatious smile.

"What are you cheesed about?" she asked him.

"I'm just happy you're here," he nodded.

"Why is that?"

"Makes things more interesting." Bianca nodded slowly, turning her head when Gemma nudged her to hand her a dish. With a quick glance, she noticed people starting to pass the bigger dishes around for their servings.

"Bianca, how's your car runnin'?" Jax asked.

"Never better," she said, handing off the bowl.

"That's a beaut. Where'd you say you found her?" Clay chimed in.

"I inherited her."

"From who?"

"One of my foster parents."

"You had a foster parent that cared enough to let you inherit a car like that, but never adopted you?" Tig asked, catching a few of them off guard with his assertiveness. Bianca looked at him blankly.

"Yeah. She wanted to adopt me, but she couldn't."

"Why not?"

"She was red flagged for owed back taxes or something so her adoption money went to that. It's pretty expensive to adopt a kid." Gemma shook her head.

"That's unfortunate," Tig said.

"I thought it was weird. I was thirteen, but it still seemed kind of strange."

"It sounds weird," Jax agreed.

"But we stayed in touch and I went to live with her when I turned eighteen. By then her finances were all squared."

"What college did you go to?"

"UCLA."

"Why did you go into law?"

"To be able to work on the legal side of social work." Jackson nodded.

"Are you going to interrogate Bianca all evening?" Gemma asked.

"It's okay. Curiosity. I get it. I'm a mysterious disruption," Bianca explained.

"Well, it doesn't all have to happen at the dinner table. She's not going anywhere, boys. Spread that shit out."

"I, for one, am curious." Luann began, "should I go do some recruiting in Los Angeles?" Bianca laughed.

"City of beautiful people. I guess it couldn't hurt."

"Right. Plastic surgery heaven," Piney croaked.

"Bianca hasn't had any surgery," Gemma defended.

"Since when do you care about fake tits, old man?" Clay asked with a laugh. A few of the other guys laughed then.

"What about the guys?" Luann asked.

"There's a variety. I'm sure you could find some good ones." Bianca said with a chuckle in her statement.

"Are we really talking about porn casting at the dinner table?" Deacon said with a shake of his head.

"You act like it's not normal," his mother answered.

But it was.

Bianca hadn't ever had the chance to experience a dinner with so many people, let alone so many people that seemed so comfortable with her. If they were suspicious of her sudden appearance in their little town or in the King and Queen's life, they never indicated such. At first, she'd been apprehensive, but after the initial phase of being asked a bunch of questions, the conversation shifted effortlessly and they all actually had a decent time.

* * *

The women cleared the table while the men lit up cigarettes and cigars and shifted into a loud and half intoxicated poker game. Bianca helped Gemma and Luann put away the leftovers and wash the dishes before she excused herself to step outside for some fresh air. She sat down on the porch in one of the rocking chairs, setting her beer bottle on the table beside her. She rocked for about five minutes before she was joined by Juice. He sat in the rocking chair beside her.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she smiled softly and gazed up at the sky.

"Wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Nah. But I know everyone is still hesitant. It's a weird situation."

"It's just that…not much happens in Charming without everyone knowing."

"Yeah, just how did Gemma get away with having a kid behind Clay's back?" Juice shook his head.

"I don't know. She's pretty genius, so it wouldn't be too difficult." Bianca was silent. "You wanna go for a ride?"

"What? Now?" She turned her hazel eyes on him. He nodded. "Where to?"

"No where specific."

"Okay. Let me go get a jacket from my house."

"Alright." Bianca got up and proceeded to trek across the street for her jacket while Juice went back inside Gemma's house to dispose of Bianca's beer bottle. Upon entrance to her own house, Bianca grabbed her jacket from the hook inside the front door just as a dark car with tinted windows pulled up in between the two houses. In the blink of an eye the passenger was halfway out of the window, shooting over top of the car at the Teller-Morrow house; no doubt joining the driver who shot from his own window. Bianca jumped a little and ducked before her instincts took over.

She grabbed the .357 Magnum pistol taped under the table by the door and pushed open her screen door. It was an impulsive and stupid action, but at that point, Bianca had stepped out of her own body. It was as though she was still standing inside the front door, watching herself march across the front yard firing the pistol. One of the bullets hit the passenger in the back and he fell out of the car. Another hit the back window and because the driver was the more cowardly of the two shooters, as soon as his partner was out of the car and he sensed trouble, he sped off.

The Sons came running out of the house once they were sure the street was clear, but Deacon was the first to spot Bianca now approaching the wounded shooter in the middle of the street. "Stop," he hollered. She paused near the man who reached for her, but she pulled the trigger, clipping him in the arm. "Bee, stop!" By then, the Sons were crowded around, Jackson on top of the wounded man, getting a few hits in to make sure the man stayed down. Chibs carefully reached for the gun in Bianca's hand.

"It's alright, love. It's over," he said, "gimme the gun." Bianca's eyes never left the bloody man as she released the weapon into Chibs' hand. "Jesus Christ."

"Get her out of here," Clay said after the lot of them heard sirens in the distance. "I don't want her involved." Juice pulled Bianca toward him and she finally let her gaze move away from the murderous man. She looked up at Juice who wrapped his arm around her and led her toward her house.

"It's okay. Come on," he said softly. She moved with him then, feeling numb to the situation at hand thanks to the rush of adrenaline she felt all the way to her bones. She glanced over her shoulder and watched Jackson stand up, though she was out of earshot of the men.

"Mayan," Jackson said.

"What the hell are the Mayans shooting up the Sons for?" Deacon asked. Clay huffed and shook his head.

"Let's go find out."


	8. 8

"None of this feels right, man," Bobby said, leaning against his bike as the handful of them waited at the park for the arrival of their nemesis MC. Tig shook his head though it was actually an agreeing motion. "An unprovoked attack on the Sons; on the President's house, nonetheless."

"I don't even know why we're having this sit down, Clay. Shouldn't this be immediate retaliation?" Tig asked. Clay sighed and looked at Tig and then at Jackson who was silent on his own bike.

"There was only Mayan ink, no patch. It could have been initiation, or a rogue. I really don't see a reason for the hit." Jax answered for Clay. The rumble of motorcycles interrupted them and the Sons watched the handful of Mayans roll up into the parking lot of the busy park. The public meeting meant there was less likely to be gunfire. The rival MC parked and got off their bikes and suavely approached the Sons who barely moved from their positions.

"What's this all about?" Alvarez, club President for the Mayans asked.

"Last night, two of your guys decided to shoot up my house. Why don't you tell us what you know about that." Clay said, getting straight to the point. Alvarez's face showed no emotion at first, but then his eyebrow twitched and he looked over his shoulder at one of his men before looking back at Clay.

"It's unfortunate. There was no order for that."

"What was the order then?" Clay's patience was wearing thin.

"It doesn't concern the Sons."

"Hey! When the Mayans come into Charming and start shooting up neighborhoods, it concerns the Sons! Especially when it's an order that "accidentally" falls at the doorstep of the MC President." Jackson said with his voice elevated.

"I said there was no order for that. If there was a shooting, it wasn't a Mayan."

"There was Mayan ink. I saw it up close."

"Was there a patch?" Alvarez wore a smirk and Jackson just stared at him. "Look, the hit didn't come from me. As far as the Sons and the Mayans, we're all good." At that point, the Mayans were getting back onto their bikes. Jackson pulled his gun then, marching toward the leader in a movement reminiscent of his sister. Clay almost shuddered at the sight. Mayans were pulling weapons, Sons were pulling weapons and Clay was forcing himself into the middle to break it up.

"Hey. Not here." After a moment, the guns were put away. Clay's eyes fell on Alvarez. "To avoid meetin' like this again, how about you tell me who I should be talkin' to." Alvarez sighed.

"I don't know. Maybe your meth cookin' friend." Engines were revved and the Mayans peeled out of the parking lot, leaving the Sons to exchange questioning looks.

"Did Alvarez just put himself in bed with Darby?" Tig asked. Clay nodded.

"What the hell is going on?" Bobby said flatly.

"Wait, why would Darby order a hit on Clay and use Mayans to do it?" Jackson asked.

"If it was a Mayan, it may not have been a patched-in Mayan. Alvarez doesn't seem too worried about giving himself up, otherwise he wouldn't have just said what he said." Clay answered. "It's possible that the two have nothing to do with each other and that the Mayan that you saw was excommunicated, but we still need to go rattle Darby again. The guy never learns."

"Hold on," Jackson said, "do you think it was those guys from the other day? I mean, Darby's gotta know we torched his meth house here in Charming but hiring Mayans to shoot up the MC is pretty bold even for him. Now his embarrassed cronies? That's a different story. What if they shot up the wrong side of the street?"

"So, you're thinking that those two asshats that hustled Bianca at the corner store set this all in motion and that they intended to kill her instead?" Clay asked, a little doubt in his question. Jackson shrugged.

"At this point none of it makes sense."

"Well, it's another angle, so call Juice and make sure he goes and stays with Bee. Or Deac. I don't know. Whichever one is less likely to try to get in her panties." The group had to laugh at him then. His attempt at being a father was fleeting, but endearing all the same.

"You got it."


	9. 9

***~~A/N~~* Okay, so, I was listening to music yesterday and there's this song that I love that I concluded is lyrically perfect for Juice. It just seems like it relates from him to the MC in connection to the show's storyline. Thought I'd share that with you all. ANYWAY, it also relates from Bianca to Juice/her family in the fanfiction's storyline in the long run, so rather than wait until forever to introduce the inspiration, I'd rather give it now. It's called "Starving for Friends" by Slaves. Some of the lyrics are here. Look it up on Youtube! Carry on. Happy reading! Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone! You all are lovely!**

* * *

 _If I'm home by sunrise, will my eyelids fade?  
I'm too tired now to save my problems for another day._

 **LAST NIGHT**

Juice led Bianca into her house, shutting and locking the front door behind them. She wanted to stop and sit on the sofa, but he wouldn't let her. He wanted her as far away from the front of the house as possible, especially when the cops got there. Clay didn't want her involved even though she was one of the shooters. Chibs had taken her gun and therefore eliminated her as a shooter. She was no longer part of the incident. "Let's stay in here, okay?" He sat her on the edge of her unmade bed. It was nice to see that she wasn't so perfect as to be the type of person to just _have_ to make her bed.

"Okay." Bianca looked up at him. "What did I do?"

"We came over here to get your jacket and when we heard the gunfire we stayed put." She looked at him for a second and then nodded. "It'll be okay. We'll take care of everything. We won't… I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." Bianca stood suddenly, forcing him to step back a step or two.

"Don't make promises."

"But,"

"No, I mean, not because I don't believe you can't keep them. I just don't want you to feel obligated to ke…" Juice's lips covered hers then, silencing her. Blame the trauma they'd both just experienced; blame the undeniable attraction the two of them had toward each other. Whatever was between them, they were both aware of how the other felt in that moment. After a few seconds, they parted from each other, foreheads resting against one another's. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Yes."

* * *

 _'Cause I've spent my whole life between fear and faith.  
I don't know if I've been screaming in the dark or dreaming._

 **THE PRESENT**

Bianca inhaled deeply and rolled over onto her back in the middle of her bed. Her hair fell onto a stiff material, making a soft rustling sound and causing her to turn her head. She reached for the paper and held it up, looking at the words scratched onto it: Be back in a few – Juice. The woman smiled to herself and put the paper on the bedside table before sitting up slowly. She'd felt much better and safer since he'd stayed with her last night. He'd insisted on sleeping on the sofa, despite her insisting that it was just fine if he wanted to sleep beside her in the bed. She couldn't get passed the mixed signals, though. They'd kissed last night; both of them were definitely into it. There hadn't been more after that, and that was fine. Bianca didn't want to move too fast with anyone, especially since she didn't exactly know what was going on, but since Juice was so insistent on the sofa rather than beside her in the bed, how could she not question his signals? He was a hot-blooded male, right?

The smile was gone and she felt the need for a cup of coffee. She dragged herself from bed and went into the kitchen to put on a pot. As it brewed, she went to the front window and looked outside. There was no trace of any incident last night. It was a strange ordeal, to say the least, but Juice had been right. They had taken care of it. She wouldn't question it. She knew better. With a sigh, she checked the lock on the front door and went back into the kitchen.

As she prepared her cup for the coffee, she heard the return of a motorcycle. A moment later there was a knock at the door. "It's open," she called, pouring sugar into her cup. The door opened and closed and she heard heavy steps move through the living room and come into the kitchen as she poured her coffee. She stirred the drink as a left arm wrapped around her waist from behind. A body pressed against her back and for a moment she started to smile figuring that Juice had simply played the gentleman card the night before. However, the cologne was different but familiar. His right hand went on top of the coffee cup she gripped, knowing her next move once he felt her tense up. The tattoo that ran up from his wrist under his shirt confirmed his identity for her. "How'd you know where to find me?"

"It's not hard when you break a Nord's nose and he comes to find someone to do his dirty work for him," the man said. "Idiots did it wrong last night, thank God."

"You need to leave."

"Or what?"

"One of the Sons is coming back in a minute."

"No he's not. He's gonna be tied up for a little bit." Bianca slouched a little.

"Jesus Christ. Let me have my coffee then before you slit my throat." A laugh escaped his throat before he pressed the side of his head against hers to speak softer.

"You think I came here to kill you?"

"You all but confirmed that the shooting last night was meant for me."

"It was, but I didn't do it. Had I known about it, I would have stopped it."

"Why? Don't you want me dead?"

"Of course not. I want you to come back to Oakland with me."

"That's not gonna happen."

"Yes it is." Bianca shrugged her shoulder and tried to nudge him back off of her, but he didn't budge. "You're my girl, I don't understand why you don't get that."

"I don't understand why you think stalking me after a few dates means that we have a relationship." Bianca was spun around then, the coffee cup crashed to the floor and she was forced to look up at her antagonist.

"I never stalked you, and we have a relationship, Bianca."

"Um, you're stalking me now…"

"You didn't give me a choice this time. You just left."

"Yeah! To get away from you!" She shoved him at the shoulders and he grabbed her wrists roughly, pinning them to his sides. "Let me go. Just leave, Esai."

"You're coming with me," he pulled her forward, but Bianca shifted her feet, dragging her heels and causing him to falter. "Cut that shit out!"

"I'm not going with you! Just leave!" She began pulling from him then, getting a hand free and reaching for a knife from her knife block. Esai laughed and spun her back around, pinning her against the island counter. "You're hurting me. You said you'd never hurt me."

"You're hurting yourself." She looked up at him. "Don't look at me like that. You did it. Not me."

"Please, just leave me alone." He shook his head. "I'll scream. That's all it will take. You know who lives across the street, right?"

"Bianca, don't force me to hurt you. Just stop. Why can't you cooperate?!" She brought her knee up between his legs hard causing him to lean toward her and growl in pain. His grip on her intensified and she could only head-butt him. It sent a searing pain through her head and caused a white hot sensation to momentarily blind her. She was sure she broke her own nose or some other bone in her face, but when no blood came and Esai finally released her, she forgot about her pain.

 _You were the only,  
you were the only saving grace I ever had._

She started for the kitchen barrier, but he grabbed the back of her pajama shirt, causing her to slip. Her foot slid into the hot coffee and broken glass on the floor and she cried out. Esai saw his moment and tripped Bianca onto the floor the rest of the way. She hit the back of her head and raised her hand to cradle her skull. Esai pinned her, though he was in his own amount of pain. The roar of a second motorcycle sounded outside and he grabbed the gun he carried from the back of his waistband. "Don't!" Bianca grabbed at him when started to get up. "Esai!" He smacked her to silence her and continued to get up. Bianca held her face for a second, but she heard the quickened footsteps on the outside pavement. "Don't come in!" was the only thing she could think to shout.

Juice came in anyway and Bianca waited to hear the gunfire, but it never came. A struggle never came. Bianca rolled onto her side and managed to push herself into a sitting position. Juice was squatting beside her after a second, and that meant that Esai had gone out another way to avoid being seen. Obviously, he didn't want to start a war right away either – or lose his life.

"Where is he?" he asked. They both heard the motorcycle out front start and the crash of another and Juice started to get up, but Bianca pulled on his shirt sleeve.

"Don't."

"Who was it?" She shook her head. "Who was it, Bianca?!"

"I don't know. I didn't see his face." She rubbed the back of her head. Juice's jaw muscles clenched in frustration and he looked her over.

"How'd he get in?"

"I thought it was you, so I just said the door was open when he knocked."

"What he do?"

"Attacked me from behind. I hit my head on the floor." Her eyes went to her foot, partially because she remembered she had injured it and partly because she wanted to avoid Juice's gaze. Why was she lying to him? Although she had no idea of the intensity of the beef between the Mayans and the Sons of Anarchy, she knew she couldn't outright start a war.

"Did he wear a kutte?" She shook her head.

"I don't think so." Juice sighed and picked her up off of the floor, sitting her on the counter. He examined her foot for a moment.

"You need stitches. I need to take you to the hospital." Bianca shook her head. "Yes."

"Call Gemma."

"She's going to say the same thing."

"Then I want her to take me, okay?" Juice looked at Bianca and she blinked hard, a tear finally falling from her eye and he realized that he'd actually broken the promise that he'd made her the night before. Her reaction was probably her being upset with him on top of everything else. He moved between her legs and hugged her.

"I'm sorry, Bee." Bianca hugged him around the waist. "I'm sorry."


	10. 10

Bianca sat in the exam room at St. Thomas Hospital waiting for the doctor that Gemma and Juice had called Tara. The Emergency room buzzed around her and she was sure her mother was pacing outside the door. She hadn't done much talking on the ride there and Juice had given her half-assed story to Gemma. He had misunderstood her sadness in the kitchen. His apology meant that he thought she was upset with him for leaving her alone and letting this happen to her. Her tears were her guilt leaking through. She should have told Juice who it was, but that meant telling the whole story about her ex just before making it to Charming and she didn't want anyone to think she only came to Charming for their help – nor did she want them to think she'd come to Charming as a spy for the Mayans. Neither was the case. Her time with Esai was a mistake and a hiccup in time; and a huge ass coincidence she couldn't do anything about.

A knock sounded at the door and then it opened. A dark haired woman peeked around then entered. "Bianca, I'm Dr. Knowles." Bianca nodded. "I'm gonna take a look at your foot here and then we'll get you stitched up."

"Alright." Tara pulled a rolling stool over with her sneaker clad foot and sat down. She unwrapped Bianca's foot and examined the laceration.

"You know, Bianca, I can call Deputy Sheriff Hale if you'd…"

"That's not necessary."

"Right." Tara bit the inside of her lip. "Okay. Lay back. Extend your legs out." Bianca did was she was told and Tara pulled the tray of the table out to support Bee's legs. "I'm gonna give you a shot to kill the pain then I'll stitch you up. You'll be on crutches for a week maybe two."

"Great." Bianca was silent after that, letting Tara do her job. A few minutes later, Gemma pushed her way into the room, halting Tara's hands so she didn't screw up Bianca's sutures.

"Gemma, you can't be in here right now."

"Just work, Doc." Gemma looked down at Bianca who stared at the ceiling. "You, tell me what really happened." Bianca looked at her mother with a perplexed expression. "You want me to go based on what that half-wit out there told me?"

"Don't call him that," Bianca defended. "What's your problem with him?"

"He wasn't supposed to leave you alone."

"That task didn't come until after he ran down the road. He came right back, so don't blame him. It's not Juice's fault. And don't sit here and try to mother me. Or bully me. It won't work."

"I want to help you."

"Coming at me barking orders is not helping." Tara looked from mother to daughter and silently cheered in favor of Bianca – not actually knowing at the moment that they were such. "In case you haven't noticed, I don't respond well to people trying to push me around." Gemma sighed and sat down in the chair beside the examination table.

"That's very familiar, actually. That's both a Teller and a Morrow trait. You get it honest, girl. I just want to protect you. One day, I hope you'll understand what it's like to be a mother – not in this magnitude, but in the way that you'll understand what it feels like to want to do anything to protect your children." Gemma looked to Tara then, who was clearly trying to stay out of the conversation. "This is my daughter, in case you were wondering. Clay's daughter." Tara nodded.

"I wasn't, but okay," the doc said.

"Uh huh."

"I try to stay out of personal patient business unless it affects them medically, Gemma."

"Whatever. Are you going to give her a CT scan?"

"Yes, as soon as I finish stitching her up. I'm also going to have an x-ray of her face done."

"Why?" Tara looked toward Bianca then, who sighed and looked toward the ceiling. "Bee?"

"Can you leave, please?" the young woman asked.

"No."

"Gemma, I think you should. I don't want her any more upset than she is."

"Bianca, please just tell me everything." Gemma said softer now. Bianca finally looked at her mother.

"When I tell people over and over again, it triggers memory reels and I re-live everything until it stops on its own. I live with a split screen for a while. I don't have the energy for it right now." Tara stopped suturing and stood up.

"I'm finished. Gemma, you've got to go now," Tara motioned toward the door, and Gemma stood up as if to stand her ground.

"I'm not…"

"You know what," Bianca muttered, frustrated. She sat up hastily and hopped off the table, landing on her good foot. Tara held out her hands ready to catch the girl if she fell. Bee ripped open the door and limped into the hallway. By that time, all of the Sons were waiting. Clay stood up and Bianca pointed at him. "You need to get your wife, man. I can't handle her right now." Gemma looked between Clay and Jackson a few feet down the hall then smirked at Bianca.

"Okay, little missy, okay," she said. "I'll wait for you here. But after that, you and I are gonna have a long talk." That remark got a few uh ohs out of the guys and Bianca wasn't sure if that meant that she'd only asked for more trouble. God love Gemma for caring. This is exactly what Bianca had asked for by coming to Charming, but it was all so much at the moment. "Mohawk! Stay with her. We mean it this time. Stay. With. Her." Juice nodded and pushed himself off of the wall.

"No," Bianca said. Juice looked defeated then and slumped back against the wall.

"Someone's gotta stay, sweetheart," Clay said.

"Then, he can." She point at Jackson. Clay looked at Jackson, who nodded. Tara seemed to tense a bit, but she never let her professionalism falter.

"Come on back in, then, Bianca," the doc said. "Let's get you wrapped up and then I'll get you down for the CT and X-Ray." Jackson bypassed his mother, who grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Take care of her. She won't let me," Gemma said, kissing her son's cheek.

"I got this, Ma."


	11. 11

****~~A/N~~* TRIGGER WARNING FOR READERS: SLIGHT MENTION OF UNDER-AGE MOLESTATION.**

* * *

The beeping was steady, but the room was almost completely silent other than a quiet tapping her side. Bianca's eyes fluttered opened and she looked around the room a little confused. Why was she still in the hospital? Memory lapse never happened. The beeping started to quicken and she turned her head when a body stood and stepped closer to the bed. "Relax, it's me," Jax said. "You had to be admitted."

"Why?"

"You passed out between the CT and the X-ray. Tara said you had a concussion, so the doctors wanted to keep you for observation. You don't have a broken face though." Jackson smiled. Bianca turned her eyes away from him and let them float to the silent television. "You didn't mention that you got hit. At least, Juice can't remember that part of the story."

"Why does it matter? The guy's gone. Juice scared him away."

"You don't think that scumbag will come back? He knows where you live, Bee."

"Jackson,"

"I'm not Mom. You can't throw me out or pawn me off on Clay." Jackson laughed. Bianca felt funny for a moment. She was talking to a man that she shared a mother with and he had referred to her as a shared person by not adding a possessive form in front of it. She finally sighed.

"He smacked me once, but I head-butt him before that. That's why I needed an x-ray," she finally admitted.

"Jesus Christ, girl."

"I took a self-defense class in college with some friends."

"That isn't basic self-defense."

"Eh, so I learned some advanced techniques." Jackson sat down in the chair and pulled it closer to the bed.

"Who were you trying to defend yourself from?"

"No one specifically. It was a college campus. Shit happens. We thought it was a good idea. Plus, shit always seems to happen to me, so I thought it was a good idea."

"What kind of shit?"

"I feel so high right now."

"Because you are. They gave you some morphine a little while ago."

"Oh."

"What kind of shit have you been through, Bianca?"

"Are you reporting back to Gemma?"

"You're my sister. I want to know about you. She wants to know about you. Clay won't ask because he's too stubborn to adjust to change quickly. We just want to know you. We want to let you in, Bianca. We can't do that when you won't let us. You're a stranger right now. We're family, right? You came to find your family? How are we supposed to be one if we can't get to know each other?" Bianca turned her head to look at him; to give him a look to confirm that she conceded to him. He was right. "It's not easy and it may never be. Nothing's easy in Charming. You ought to know that already."

"Yeah, I do."

"I'm sorry you got the shit end of the deal with the foster care system and all."

"Yeah."

"You had that one nice lady though, right?"

"Yeah, but that was after the foster dad from hell. He was the one that caused her financial problems and made it impossible for her to adopt me."

"Why? What happened?" A knock came to the door and it opened. Gemma and Clay came in and Jackson shook his head.

"It's okay," Bianca said.

"How are you feeling, baby?" Gemma asked.

"Higher than a kite."

"Best way to feel." Clay said with a laugh.

"Bee, you were saying?" Jax urged as Clay sat down in the other chair and Gemma sat on the side of Bianca's bed. Bianca hesitated, looking at her mother then at her father. She blinked hard then sighed and opened her eyes back up.

"I had okay foster parents up until I was about ten. No one really wanted to adopt me though. The memory thing freaked them out once they realized every little discretion could be called into question. Then I got this one guy. He was a CPA in Northern California…with an affinity for little girls." Not much needed to be said after that. "God, it was two and a half years before I could do enough to get him to boot me back into the system. That's when Alaynna found me and fostered me. I wasn't with her that long before she wanted to adopt me, but when the Asshole got wind of it he made it impossible by screwing up her tax information. I didn't tell the whole truth about it before at dinner the other night. I know what happened. I know why it happened. Alaynna's finances were fixed after a long lawsuit which is why she could afford for me to go live with her. So, to answer your question, Jackson, that's probably why I took self-defense classes. I felt a subconscious need to."

"Who's the guy, Bianca?" Clay asked through grit teeth. She shook her head.

"He's dead."

"How'd he die?"

"He died in a car accident outside of Oakland. That's where he worked." Jackson and Clay traded glances.

"You ever been to Oakland?" Jackson asked, his brow furrowing in curiosity.

"When I was younger I went when he'd take me to work with him. Other than that, no." She knew why he was asking and she was speaking the honest to God truth. Her tie to the Oakland MC came about through UCLA. Her former foster dad's death came about through a Mayan from Oakland who knew about what the CPA had done to her as a child. Perhaps that was why she still held a soft spot for Esai. She'd been sarcastic in her confrontation with him. They had been in a relationship for a while, but he had been overly possessive and stalkerish when she'd tried to end it on several occasions. Plus, he was a little more on the physical side when he was upset.

"I'm sorry to make you re-live it," Jackson said, breaking her from her thought processing. "How was your time in Los Angeles?"

"Good. College was fun. I made a lot of great friends. One of them helped me start the search for Gemma once I graduated. Maybe we'll go and I'll show you around the City of Angels, Jax." Gemma lightly held Bianca's hand.

"You have black eyes, baby," she said.

"It's from head-butting the prick, Ma," Jackson said, proudly. "He only hit her once."

"We need to find this guy so this doesn't happen again. Will you tell me what happened? All of it? Juice doesn't think you told him everything either."

"Where is Juice?" Bianca asked.

"At the clubhouse," Clay answered.

"He is so fine," she admitted, still half buzzed from her pain medicine. After a confused moment of silence, Jackson spit out a laugh along with Gemma and Clay shook his head.

"We'll be sure to relay the message, Bee," Jackson said.

"I didn't tell him everything. Not really."

"What didn't you tell him?"

"Well, I didn't tell him about getting hit or head butting the guy or kneeing him in the balls."

"And you don't know who it was?" Gemma pressed. Bianca shook her head. Buzzed or not, she wasn't ready to give up the identity of her attacker. She knew what would happen if she did. Gemma sighed. "Why don't you come stay with us after you get out of here?"

"She could stay at the clubhouse. The shooters know where she lives and where you live. They shot up your house first with the intent to shoot her up." Jackson said. Bianca turned her head to look from Gemma and connect eyes with her brother.

"Wait, what? They meant to shoot up my house?" Jackson inhaled deeply. He wasn't really supposed to say that aloud because it had been club business, but it was out in the open now.

"Yeah."

"Who…why? What did I do?" She already knew. Esai had told her.

"That guy whose nose you broke. He had some guys come try to kill you."

"What. The. Fuck."

"Exactly."

"We're taking care of it, Bee. Don't worry. We're more concerned about the one that got away," Clay said. Tara came into the room and paused.

"Wow. Full house." She traded a soft smile with Jackson that didn't go unnoticed by Gemma or Bianca.

"Ooh, she's makin' eyes at you, Jax." Bianca said. Jackson laughed.

"Be quiet Mrs. Juicy." Jackson said, shaking his head.

"Sounds like the morphine's working." Tara said. "You feeling better, Bianca?"

"Yeah," Bianca admitted.

"Good. We'll probably only keep you tonight, if everything goes okay. We don't think you passed out because of your concussion because it's very minor, but rather because of all of the stress. Your syndrome can cause that. We found a medication that can help suppress it, if you're interested. It won't suppress memory recall, but it will kind of dull the overwhelming sensation it brings so that it doesn't bring on a hysterical mindset." Bianca nodded feeling somewhat relieved that there was such an option for her. "Great. I'll get that ordered for you. As for your family here, I'm sorry guys, visiting hours are over. I've got to kick you out." Gemma started to argue, but Tara cut her off. "I know. Someone needs to stay. Jackson can, but you and Clay have to go. I'm sorry." Dr. Knowles set her foot down and expected the adults to be adults. She left them to themselves and closed the door behind her on the way out.

"I'll be back tomorrow, sweetheart, okay?" Gemma said, leaning forward to kiss Bianca's head.

"Alright." Clay hugged his step-son and then actually leaned over Bianca to also kiss her head.

"Goodnight sweetie," he said, ushering Gemma out of the room. Bianca gave a bewildered look to Jackson who just laughed at her and looked down at his phone.

"Welcome to the Teller-Morrow family."


	12. 12

Bianca stood awkwardly brushing her teeth in the mirror of her hospital room bathroom when she heard a knock on the door. Obviously, it wasn't Gemma returning because the woman would have just walked right in. She'd come a little earlier, bringing her daughter a change of clothes. Jackson had left as soon as their mother had come and Bianca had thanked him for staying even though he'd pretty much been forced to. "Who is it?" Bianca called, learning her lesson about telling people the door was open.

"It's just me," Tara said, opening the door. "I brought your crutches." Bianca rinsed her mouth quickly and came out of the bathroom.

"Do I really have to use those things?"

"If you want the sutures to heal properly and quickly, yes. The less contact the wound has with the ground, the better. Besides, now you have a weapon." Tara smiled. Bianca smirked.

"Right."

"Gemma's on her way back. You're free to go whenever you'd like."

"Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome. I look forward to not seeing you back in here?"

"I'll try my best."

"I hope you will." As if she heard her name, Gemma came back in, looking between the two women and finally settling on Bianca's crutches.

"Jesus. Crutches, really?"

"I'm afraid so. You've got a temporarily disabled kid to look after. Congratulations." Bianca said.

"Just don't hobble into a wall or anything. That'd be weird." Bianca laughed, and they set off out of the hospital.

* * *

"Where am I staying? Did you all decide were the best place for me to hide out is?" Bianca asked, flipping through the stations on Gemma's car radio. Once she focused on a radio station, she rummaged in her purse for her phone, which was dead, but someone had thrown the charger in for her.

"The clubhouse, since there is always a Son there. Deacon and Juice usually stay in one of the apartments to tend to overnight work."

"Okay."

"Use a rubber, alright? I'm not ready for little half-bred Puerto Rican grandchildren." Bianca turned her head at lightening speed.

"What?" Gemma laughed.

"I'm kidding."

"Oh."

"I'm not though. You don't know where that boy's been."

"You don't have anything to worry about. Jeez." Bianca shook her head and turned to look out the window until they arrived to Teller-Morrow.

Most of the Sons were sitting outside and there to greet them when they pulled in. Piney and Deacon were out on Repo work. Tig got Bianca's bag out of Gemma's trunk while Jackson helped Bianca up out of the car and grabbed her crutches for her.

"Jesus," Bobby said, looking at her.

"It's better than it looks, really," she assured him.

"Yeah?"

"Yep. Promise."

"Come on, I'll show you to one of the apartments," Jackson said, taking her bag from Tig. She followed him inside the clubhouse. Gemma stayed behind and lingered beside Clay.

"How is she doin'?" Clay asked.

"Okay as far as I can tell."

"Her phone?"

"Code protected."

"Couldn't give it to her man to crack it?" Clay said with a mocking tone.

"Her man?" Tig asked. Clay and Gemma laughed.

"Don't ask."

"Alright."

"I could have, but he might have told her. Pussy does weird things to men." Clay sighed and kissed his wife.

"Tell me about it."

* * *

"You doin' okay?" Jackson asked, glancing back at Bianca.

"All good, bro." She moved past Juice sitting at the bar with his back to her. He had earphones in his ears and sat at an open computer. She paused to nudge him and look over his shoulder. He pulled an earphone out as she spoke. "You're not watchin' fetish porn on that thing, are you?" He turned then, not expecting his interrupter to be her.

"Oh, God," he half breathed, looking at her slightly bruised face.

"No, Bianca. Remember?" He gently held the sides of her face in his hands.

"Ew. You're not gonna make out now, are you?" Jackson asked. "That's my sister, dude."

"And my daughter," Clay said in a throaty voice, making his sudden presence known. Juice dropped his hands immediately and looked back and forth at the men as he struggled with his words. The Teller-Morrow clan could only laugh at his awkwardness.

"Jesus, look at what you did to him," Gemma said, setting her purse on the counter. "Need a change of pants, Juice?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine." Bianca shook her head and moved with Jackson. "I'm glad you're okay, Bianca."

"Thanks, Juice." He turned back toward the computer, no doubt to hide his embarrassment.

* * *

Jackson pushed open the door to a cleaned up dorm room and Bianca looked around as she stepped in. He put her bag on the bed and turned to look at her. "How many rooms are there in this place?"

"Eh, about six. A few of us stay from time to time. It's usually Deacon and Juice though. They work at night most of the time." Bianca nodded. "I'll let you get settled. You're probably sick of looking at me."

"Yeah, I am, actually." Jax smiled.

"Smart ass." Bianca shrugged with a smirk on her face and watched him leave the room. She moved to the bed and sat down. She went through with the task of plugging in the charger to her phone and hooking it up before she laid back on the bed to prop up her feet. The top blanket was scratchy, but it was a little warm in the room even with the air running. She probably wouldn't even need the blanket. Several beeps went off on the phone and she sighed, picking it up and flipping the charger cord over her hand.

' _Bee, im sry'_

' _r u ok'_

' _answer me'_

' _pls'_

' _rn'_

' _i swear i'll fuckin come back over there'_

She deleted each text message from the number she didn't keep stored in her phone, but she knew by heart. It appeared that Esai had gotten her new number somehow and that she'd need to change it again. He was good at that kind of thing – kind of the way Juice was good with technology and Deacon was good with finding people. It was the killing part he wasn't good with. It wasn't even him that had killed her foster dad. He'd simply orchestrated it.

Bianca pressed the code for her voicemail to listen to the one and only voicemail she had already knowing that it was also from Esai. When he said he wasn't stalking her, he really didn't understand how possessive and obsessive he could be.

" _I just want to know that you're okay, mami. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just love you so much. You belong here with me. Please call me back. Let me know you're okay."_

The message was deleted and she closed the phone before setting it back on the table beside the bed. She let out a loud breath and stared at the ceiling. What the hell was she going to do about this?


	13. 13

Loud music stirred Bianca from the accidental sleep that had taken her that afternoon. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but the medicine she was on was still weaning out of her system as was the adrenaline. She sat up and looked around the room. There were countless voices outside of her room and she could only conclude that there was one of the infamous Teller-Morrow parties going on. Juice had told her about them when they'd spent the night together. The girl grabbed her crutches and got up off the bed, hobbling out of her room and joining the party.

Scantily clad girls (crow eaters and sweet butts) and Sons crowded the room, along with hang-arounds and friends of the MC. Bianca turned her head just in time to see Bobby take a body shot off of a thicker woman who giggled drunkenly. "Jesus Christ," Bianca said, laughing as she walked through the bar. The air was thick with the smell of smoke and liquor, so Bee headed for the door to the outside and found her family sitting around while a bunch of other people cheered on Tig and another man in a boxing ring to the back of them.

"Hi, baby," Gemma called, offering a joint toward Bianca. The blond shook her head. "Have a good nap?"

"Yeah. I didn't even mean to fall asleep."

"Drink?" A beer bottle got extended to her and she took it, looking at the person who offered it to her. Juice smiled.

"Thanks," she said with a smile. Bee nodded the way of the clubhouse, but instead led Juice around the corner from it to be out of earshot and eyesight of her family to save the two of them some embarrassment. She propped her crutches against the stone wall of the building and leaned back against it, using her free hand to grab the front of Juice's t-shirt. He looked down at her hand then looked her in the eyes, a small smile playing on his lips before the expression dropped and transformed to accept the kiss she pulled him into. His hands found her hips and he pulled her body against his as a chorus of drunken 'woooooos' broke out. Bianca broke the kiss with a laugh and Juice turned his head to see a couple of his brothers, Jax included, laughing until they couldn't stand straight at the end of the wall. "Grow up," Bianca shouted.

"I hate them," Juice said.

"No you don't," Bianca said before kissing him again. "Would you rather go inside?" She said against his mouth.

"We could…" A far away rumble broke his concentration as it got closer and turned itself into the Teller-Morrow garage's lot. Sons that were inside came out. Juice helped Bianca move toward the way of her family as the Mayans MC rode in. Bianca's heartbeat started to race seeing Esai ride in with the rest of his gang. The rumble seized as the bikes were turned off. Helmets came off and the leader of the pack stepped off of his bike with his second and third joining him. Bianca's gaze momentarily locked with Esai's as she let go of Juice's hand and leaned against the corner of the wall. She stood several feet away from her family, but only a few from Alvarez's son as he sat on his bike.

"You've got to have some massive cahones to roll up in here like this," Clay said, his anger very apparent.

"Just looking to join the party, esé," Alvarez said.

"We're full up. What do you want?"

"Just wanted to invite you to a little get-together tomorrow afternoon. The Park. You know which one. We need to have a chat."

"You rode all the way out here, why not just say what you wanna say?"

"Because you're having a party and it can wait. We were just riding through, anyway."

* * *

"Why didn't you call me back?" Esai said softly enough to not be heard by those around them. Bianca pretended to not hear him as she watched her father converse with his. "Hey," Esai made the mistake of reaching out to touch her arm. Juice saw it out of the corner of his eye and moved forward suddenly, not catching himself before he swung his closed fist forward. That got guns pulled between the Sons and the Mayans again. Esai was up off his bike, spitting blood and holding up his own gun. Bianca waited to die. She waited for a trigger to be pulled one after the other, but Alvarez made a motion to his men and weapons were lowered.

"Tell your men to keep their hands to themselves," Clay barked.

"He's got a soft spot for that one," Alvarez explained. That seemed to baffle Clay, but before he could ask, the Mayans were mounting their bikes and turning them back on in preparation to leave. Esai took the longest, holding up the departure until his father shouted at him in Spanish. Gemma had moved toward the three of them then, halting Esai when he got on his bike. She grabbed his right arm and turned it toward her, pushing his sleeve back and revealing the tattoo on his arm. It was a newer splash of ink, but it was definitely her daughter's name. Gemma and Juice looked at Bianca, who was looking at Esai - who smirked and yanked his arm from Gemma. He strapped his helmet on and backed out of the driveway and in a matter of minutes, the party continued. Gemma had moved back toward her husband by that point.

Clay slapped the stone wall. "Chapel!" He shouted and then pointed the way at Bianca. "You too."


	14. 14

_I'm about to die. I'm about to die. Clay is gonna kill me. He won't even blink an eye. I'm not a daughter to him, so it won't even matter. He'll just kill me and that'll be that._ Bianca's mind swam with a million negative thoughts as the Sons shouted for the people inside to take the party outside while they filed into the room where they held their business meetings. Generally, there were to be no outsiders in at all – ever. Considering the circumstances, Bianca could understand why Clay had demanded that she was in there. He wanted to know everything and he wanted to know it now.

"What's gonna happen?" she asked Juice. He turned his head to look at her. She couldn't read his expression, but she immediately convinced herself that there was no chance of anything for them after tonight.

"I don't know. Just tell us the truth. Tell us everything." Bianca nodded and waited in the doorway with Gemma for the men to get settled at the table. Clay motioned them in and Gemma guided Bianca in before pulling the doors closed behind the two of them.

"Why does Alvarez's son have a thing for you? More importantly, why does that thing involve a tattoo?" Clay asked. Bianca sighed heavily and shifted her weight onto her crutches.

"Because he's my ex-boyfriend," Bianca said directly. "He's a violent, possessive and stalkery prick."

"How do you know him?" Jackson asked, any trace of sibling comradery seemed to have vanished.

"We met a couple of years ago when I was still going to UCLA. We dated for a while. He was going to night classes there. Once he started with the psychotic behavior, I tried to get rid of him. It started with him excitedly admitting that he'd orchestrated the murder of my foster dad." Bianca's eyes glazed with tears. "I mean, part of me was glad, but another part felt guilty. I didn't expect him to do that when I confided in him. I tried to get away from him, but he kept coming after me. Then, all of a sudden he was gone. I thought it was over."

"That must have been when he went home to get patched-in," Bobby said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know who he was to you guys. I hadn't even started looking for Gemma yet when I was with him."

"Why would we believe you? Why wouldn't we believe that you've been planted here to infiltrate and report back to the Mayans?" Clay asked. Bianca nodded, knowing that he would have thought that.

"I understand why you would think that. If you believe that, then kill me. It's okay." Gemma's mouth dropped open and her crossed arms dropped to her sides. "Really. I'm not going to beg my dad for my life if he's so easily willing to take it. Just do it." Tears slipped down her face, but her voice was stern. "It was never my intention to bring Mayans to you. I didn't even know what the Mayans were until Juice explained it the night of the shooting. I didn't know that Esai was part of it until he showed up at my house the next day in his kutte."

"It was _him_?" Juice asked. Bianca nodded.

"Yes, and I'm sorry I lied to you. He had a gun when you pulled up. I didn't want him to shoot at you and I didn't want you going out after him just in case. I lied because I thought it would protect you." Juice rubbed at his head.

"It sounds like you were protecting the Mayan because you still didn't tell us after we asked you," Clay said.

"No, that's not…" Bianca shook her head, her voice threatening to crack. "I was scared to tell you."

"Why? Because we'd kill him?"

"Yes."

"Why would that matter?"

"Because then someone could kill you." She chewed her lip for a moment. "Despite how you're feeling about me and this whole situation, you're still my dad. I just got you. Why would I put you at risk? It's selfish, I know, but I was willing to take a beating in secret to protect you in the end."

"Jesus," Gemma whispered under her breath before looking at Clay with pleading eyes. The MC Pres looked at the two of them for a long moment before breathing out and waving them out of the room.

"Don't go far. It's not safe," he called as Gemma slid the doors closed. Bianca went to the bar and sat on one of the stools. Gemma followed her and looked at her disapprovingly.

"I'm sorry." Bianca got a slap to the face from her mother. Bianca froze for a second.

"We don't lie to our family, Bianca." That caused the blond to turn her eyes on her mother and narrow them. The stinging in her cheek was the least of her worries at the moment.

"Are you fucking kidding me, right now? You're the Queen of lies! You hid a whole goddamn person! I ought to slap the holy hell out of you!"

"Don't you talk to me like that, little girl!"

"Don't mother me, old lady! As far as I'm concerned, you're a shitty mother as it is!" Bianca hopped off of the stool, leaving her crutches behind and limping whole footed to her apartment.

"Get back here, you little bitch!"

"Fuck off!" Bianca gathered her bag and came back through the bar. Gemma sat on a bar stool smoking a joint. SAMCRO had adjourned chapel and were crowding the bar room.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Well, it doesn't concern you now does it?"

"Guess not, seeing as how I'm a shitty mother and all."

"You're not going anywhere." Clay said. Bianca paused to look at him.

"Gonna stop me?" Clay made a relaxed face and shook his head before Juice stepped in front of Bianca and hoisted her up over his shoulder. "What the…"

"There's Mayans after you, ya know." Juice said.

"Put me down. I'm not staying here."

"Sure you are."

"I'll take my chance with the goddamned Mayans."

"Don't be stupid," Gemma said. "Dramatic little bitch," she said with a chuckle. Juice slapped Bianca's ass before carrying her back to her apartment.

"I'm gonna murder you in your sleep," Bianca said before she was dropped on her bed.

"That's a little harsh." Juice sat down beside her.

"I'm not kidding. I don't want to stay here. I don't brush things under the rug as easily as everyone else. That shit was uncalled for earlier." Juice nodded his head.

"In light of the situation at hand…I think an exception should be made and we should just all be cool. Everyone else is cool."

"They're not gonna kill me?" He laughed.

"You thought we were gonna kill you? You think we go around killing everyone?" Bianca just looked at him. "You _are_ dramatic, aren't you?"

"Shut up."

"We believed what you said. It was never a question; we just needed to hear it genuinely from you. We'll never trust the Mayans. Please, woman."

"Are you going to kill Esai?" He shrugged. "Juice."

"Verdict is still out." Bianca laid back and breathed out heavily. "One thing is for sure. He won't be coming around here anymore. You have nothing to worry about." She looked toward him and he glanced over his shoulder. Bianca grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him to a laying position beside her.

"Are you upset with me for lying to you?"

"No. I might have done the same thing in your position." She rolled on her side to face him and propped her head on her hand.

"Really?"

"Yeah." She smiled softly before kissing him. After a moment, the kissing intensified and Bianca introduced her tongue into Juice's mouth as she moved on top of him. He held her hips as she swayed against him, letting out a soft grunt. She broke the kiss to look at him and then sat up to pull her shirt from her body. His hands helped to guide the fabric from her skin and then fell downward, running his fingertips over her flesh. Bee leaned down to kiss him softly again and then sat up once more, pulling him upright to remove his shirt. Juice trailed his lips down her neck and upper chest.

"Juice," she said breathily.

"Hmm?"

"Do you have something?"

"Oh," he leaned sideways, nearly dumping her off of his lap. "Shit," he caught her waist as she giggled uncontrollably and rolled off of him and onto her back onto the bed. Juice stood up and pulled his wallet from his pocket and opened it. "Shit. Shit!" He dropped it and it swung from the chain still attached to his pants. Bianca propped herself up on her elbows and watched him.

"It's okay, come here." He stepped toward her, but then he stepped back.

"I can't. I can't just…violate your body like that."

"What?"

"I respect you, ya know. I gotta wrap it up for you." Bianca had to laugh because she didn't know what else to do or say.

"I'm sorry. Um, okay. So…go see if someone else has one." He smiled and nodded.

"Right." He turned and headed toward the door, but then turned on his heel. "Wait, no!"

"What now?"

"I can't go out there and ask someone for a rubber. Your mom and dad are out there. And your brother. No, I can't do that." Bianca started to giggle again and dropped herself onto her back once again.

"Okay, okay. Just come lay with me." Juice complied with her wishes and the two of them curled up in her bed. "Next time show up prepared, or I will force you to ask my brother for a condom."

"You got it."


	15. 15

One month.

Four weeks.

Thirty days.

720 hours.

43, 200 minutes.

So much had changed. Bianca hadn't really expected SAMCRO to just sweep everything under the rug. How could they? Of course, they didn't treat her badly. It was just…they kind of kept their distance. Clay didn't talk to her much. Jackson joked around with her when they were in the same room. She and Gemma had made up and gotten closer. Aside from Gemma, Juice was the only one that consistently stayed in touch with Bianca and she wasn't sure if it was because he actually liked her or because he'd been tasked with keeping tabs on her because Clay knew that she had taken an interest in him. Either way, it worked in her favor, at least.

There'd been nothing to be heard from Esai and while it was unsettling for Bianca at first, she accepted that perhaps the Sons had taken care of the matter. If they'd killed him, well, that was what they had done. Club business was club business. She wasn't an Old Lady, so it wasn't like she could go ask someone – even if the matter of Esai did concern her.

Gemma went a little crazy at the slight discord in her family and knew that a simple family dinner wouldn't do it. Bianca's foot had healed and she'd started her job at the office and was busier than usual now. The Sons were off doing their business and Gemma _needed_ the harmony before her first grandchild got there. That was still a few months out, but even so.

"Hey baby," she said, coming into Bianca's back yard taking care to latch the gate behind her. Bianca looked over from where she laid in on her lounge chair in the sun.

"Hey."

"I have an idea."

"What's that?"

"A party."

"A party? What's so special about that? SAMCRO has a party just about every other day at the clubhouse." Gemma sat down in the lounge chair beside Bianca.

"No, an exclusive party. An extravagant party. I'll rent a hall. There will be an incredibly nice dinner. Everyone will have to dress up."

"What, like a SAMCRO prom?" Bianca laughed and wiggled her toes. Gemma pointed her finger.

"Exactly. A biker prom." Bianca looked at her mother.

"I was kidding."

"I wasn't. We need something a little different, but something that gets the family together. Everyone's so…it's just…it's driving me nuts."

"It's my fault. I could just leave, you know. It'll make it all better."

"It won't. Shit wasn't perfect before you got here, Bee. The Sons and the Mayans were never best friends."

"I'm the reason your house got shot up."

"If you'd been here all along and that would have happened it would have gone down the exact same way." Bianca thought about it for a moment, but didn't say anything. "I've told Clay this. There's nothing that anyone could have done. One cowardly prick wanted to kill the little girl that broke his nose but went and got another idiot little prick to do it for him. And even then they couldn't even do it right. None of that even had anything to do with your past with the Mexican." Bianca sighed and Gemma took her hand. "It'll all come together again. You'll see."

"You're so optimistic."

"Between the two of us, I have to be." Bianca smiled. "Now, about this biker prom."

"Do you really think you're gonna be able to sell this?"

"Honey, they do what I tell them to. Plus, there's food and booze." Bee had to laugh. "You just worry about getting yourself a nice dress. I'm sure finding a date won't be a problem for you." Gemma's voice went flat toward the end of her statement. "How's it goin' with the Rican, by the way?"

"Why don't you like Juice?"

"He's an idiot sometimes."

"Have you ever had a conversation with him?"

"Not really…"

"He's not an idiot. He has idiotic tendencies…but doesn't everyone at one point or another?" Gemma smirked.

"You really dig him, huh?" Bianca shrugged a shoulder. "Ever dated a white guy?"

"Uh, yeah…"

"Just asking."

"I don't discriminate."

"You seem to have a type."

"Mexican and Puerto Rican are different."

"I know that! But they're both Hispanic. I'm just saying." Bianca smiled and shook her head. "Do you speak Spanish?"

"I can speak Spanish, yes. I took classes in college. I took a semester of Chinese too."

"Why Chinese?"

"It was different."

"As are you. Definitely different, girl." Gemma looked around the back yard. "I never realized there was a pool back here."

"Not very observant?"

"I don't know. Maybe I knew it, but it slipped my mind. Come get changed. Let's go shopping."

"Now?"

"No, at eight. Yes, now!" Bianca sat up straight.

"Alright, alright. Anything to make mother happy. She gave me life. She can take it back." Gemma actually laughed aloud as her daughter stood up and walked around the lounge chair to go inside the house.

"You remember that, kid."


	16. 16

The sun ducked behind a cloud and might as well have been a signal of the mood change to come for Bianca. She pulled into the Teller-Morrow lot and parked after a trying afternoon at work and then an even more painful two hours trying to find a dress for her mother's party the following evening. Her eyes flickered to the line of bikes behind her car reflecting in her rearview mirror. Chibs and Juice chatted at their bikes with two women, one of which who took it upon herself to find any way possible to touch Juice and flash her teeth in what was probably an obnoxiously loud laugh.

Bianca felt a flash of heat cross her cheeks; an undeniable urge to get out of the car and walk over to the girl to punch her in the face, but she didn't act on it. She and Juice hadn't made anything official. However, that didn't mean that it didn't drive her insane to see him allow another girl to put her hands on him. In fact it made her angry and nauseated at the same time.

After closing her eyes and breathing in and out slowly for a moment, she was interrupted by a voice. "Hey girl," Deacon said, leaning into her car window. Bianca turned her head to look at him. "What's up?"

"Came to see Gemma."

"Oh, not me, eh?" Deacon smiled, causing Bianca to smile and grab her purse and shopping bag from the seat beside her.

"You caught me. The trip was all for you, Deac." Deacon pulled the door open for her and took her hand to help her out of the car. Bianca saw Juice sit up straight on his bike when he saw her, but she paid him no mind. "Is Gemma here?"

"I think she's in the office. Is your car okay?" Deac shut the car door behind her.

"Yeah, all good. Thanks." She kissed his cheek and set off toward the way of the office.

"Bianca." Juice called, holding up his hands in a 'WTF?" motion. She waved dismissively without even looking at him.

"Not now. I'm not here for you."

After stepping into the office, she realized how harsh that might have sounded and wanted to turn around and apologize, but Clay sitting at Gemma's desk got the better of her. It piqued her curiosity. Bianca traded glances with him before sitting on the sofa across from the desk. "Where's Gemma?"

"She'll be back in a minute." Clay looked at the bag in her hand. "What's in the bag?"

"The dress I bought for her party. She wanted to see it when I found it since we didn't find one the other day when we went shopping." Clay nodded and lit a cigar. "Can I ask you a question?"

"If I say no, you'll probably ask anyway, so go for it."

"If I had been a boy and come looking for you, would you be so resistant toward me?" She thought she heard the man scoff at her.

"Sweetheart, I'm not resisting you because you have tits."

"Then what's the problem?"

"You ever wonder why Gemma and I don't have any kids of our own?" Honestly, Bianca had _not_ wondered about that, but now that she had a moment, she could stew on it. Perhaps Gemma had enough of bearing children after losing one of her boys and feeling as though she had to give up another to save lives. "I never wanted kids."

"Why?"

"Kids complicate things."

"Well, I'm not a kid. I'm grown. It's a bit of a different perspective. I'm not asking for anything other than to know you. I'm not even going to call you dad."

"You haven't earned my trust. You realize that just because you have my blood that that doesn't mean we're family, right?" Bianca tilted her head a bit, looking a little puzzled. "Blood makes you related. Loyalty makes you family."

"Uh…huh. The same impulsive loyalty that stopped your house from getting shot up? The same impulsive loyalty that stopped two men from hustling me on the corner? I hate to tell you this, man, but we're already loyal to each other without meaning to be." Bianca crossed her legs and sat back on the sofa. "You can try to twist everything around however you want. You can blame me for the hiccup between your club and the Mexicans. You can blame me for digging up a dirty little secret that you probably never wanted anyone to know, but guess what. None of that was my fault. You're responsible for that shit. All I did was come looking for my mom and I got all of you. I'm trying to accept you as much as you're trying to accept me. I'm trying to start over here as hard as it is with ghosts chasing me. So just…cut me some slack dude."

"Why should I?"

"Why shouldn't you?" Bianca chewed her lip. "What logical reason would you have for not just…being cool with me?" Clay didn't say anything after that, but by then Gemma was coming back in.

"Hey baby," she said, pausing to look between the two of them. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Clay finally said. Bianca stood up.

"I stopped by to show you this dress, but I'll show it to you later." She started for the door.

"You can show me now."

"It's stuffy in here. The cigar smoke and all. I'll come show it to you tomorrow morning." Bianca walked out of the office and toward her car, slowing her pace when she noticed Juice leaning against it. "Come on, move. I gotta go."

"What's your problem?" he asked, dropping his crossed arms and standing up straight.

"I don't have one. Move." She tried to push him away from the car door.

"Yeah? You were pretty fuckin' rude to me a minute ago." Bianca shoved her bags through the window then and looked Juice square in the face.

"Yeah? Well why don't you go crawl back up in that hole," she motioned toward the girl that he had been previously conversing with, "and you won't have to worry about it anymore." Bianca got a surge of energy and knocked him sideways, allowing her enough room to get into her car and get the hell out of dodge.

Okay, so, Clay admitted that he didn't trust her and that she wasn't really his family – nor that he'd really wanted a kid in the first place. The one person that Bianca had felt that she could trust had made her feel as though she couldn't now. It was a shitty way to end the afternoon.


	17. 17

_Don't make me wait for a falling star.  
I've been afraid that the blood in my heart…_

The cool California breeze caused her flesh to break out into goosebumps as she lay on her back in the hammock in her front yard. Her hazel eyes stared at the sky while the music in her ears drown out any noise around her. Gemma drove past her and went into her own house. Clay rode in on the motorcycle. Jackson came and went across the street. Bianca felt out of sorts all evening. Nothing settled well; her thoughts, her decisions, her wine, her food. She didn't dare move from the hammock once she got in for fear that she may vomit out of pure stress. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She wasn't supposed to be in this predicament, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come. It could have been from her tendency to look on the negative side of things. The poor thing hadn't exactly had a sunny life.

Finally, she forced herself out of the hammock when she couldn't take the chilly night air any longer. A motorcycle roared into her driveway as she walked across her lawn and she watched Juice take off his helmet and drop it on the handle bar before hopping off the bike. "Go home, Juice."

"No, I want to talk to you."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you. Or anyone for that matter." She picked up her flip flops from the front step and went inside the door, locking the screen door behind her, stopping Juice in his tracks. He sighed.

"But we need to. Whatever you think you saw at TM earlier…"

"It doesn't matter. We're not a thing. Do what you want."

"We are a thing! You won't let me tell you." She dropped her shoes on the rug inside the door and put her hands on her hips. "I don't mess with any other girls."

"They sure mess with you."

"In defense of that, you were kind of on Deacon when I saw you." Bianca quirked a brow at him and Juice dropped his head. "Okay, look. Just…let me come in."

"Not a chance."

"Please."

"No. You can go. I'm giving you an out." Juice looked confused.

"I didn't ask for one. I don't want one."

"Juice!"

"I love _you_ , Bianca! Jesus Christ!" She just stared at him for a moment while he pursed his lips and balled and unballed his gloved hands at his sides. Bianca stepped closer to the screen door, elevated enough to be just about eye to eye with Juice on the other side.

"You can't love me," she said softly.

"You can't tell me what to do." He tapped the metal frame of the door. "Unlock it." Slowly, Bianca reached for the lock that would allow him entrance to her house. Once it was unlatched, he stepped in, forcing her to step back. Juice kicked the inside door shut behind them and locked it. "Come here."

… _won't sing for me a melody that's ours.  
Drown me in the rain, I'd swim and sink for you._

"No." Juice smirked at her answer.

"Really? I just told you I love you and you still won't,"

"I'm unlovable, Juice." She interrupted. "And undesirable."

"Aside from my opinion, I know a Mexican that would beg to differ." Bianca's shoulders slumped and Juice finally pulled her into an embrace. "Why would you say that? I just told you that I loved you, which in turn, means that I want you." She didn't say anything; she just let him hug her because oddly enough it was a comforting feeling. She finally sighed, not really wanting to talk about what was making her feel bad.

"I just had a very shitty day. I don't want to talk about it."

"We don't have to talk right now." He let go enough to look down at her.

"Thank you." She kissed him then, realizing that the feeling that she'd had at the garage toward the female meant that she actually felt love for Juice and she gasped, pulling back out of the kiss.

"What's wrong?"

"I love you too." Juice laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You don't have to say it back just because I said it."

"No, I really do mean it. That girl that was giggling and touching up on you today. I really wanted to bash her skull in. God, that made me so sick to see that." Juice lifted her up, and Bianca wrapped her legs around his waist and rested her arms around his neck.

"What a coincidence. That's how I felt when you were touchin' up on Deacon, and that never happens."

"Yeah. Lots of sharing up in there? All those Crow eaters and Sweet butts." Bianca made a face.

"Well, you're my Old Lady now. I ain't sharin' you with no one." She traced the sides of his Mohawk with her fingertips.

"That goes both ways, man." Juice nodded. "Promise?"

"I promise." He started to kiss her, but stopped to let out a laugh. "Oh, I forgot to ask you something."

"What?"

"Will you go to the prom with me?" Bianca was taken aback for a moment. She'd forgotten all about her mother's formal dinner party.

"On one condition."

"What's that, babe?" Bee bucked her hips against him, causing his mouth to drop open slightly.

"We don't wait until prom night." She had to laugh. They were beyond waiting until prom night and the odds were good that they would land right in this situation again tomorrow evening. Juice didn't have to speak to answer. His mouth covered hers and he was moving forward, skipping going to the bedroom altogether.

He sat Bianca on the island counter in her kitchen and pulled at her pajama shorts. She pulled her own shirt off and then dragged Juice closer to push his vest off. She took special care of it, making sure to place it beside her on the counter before he shed the rest of his clothes, not really caring about them.

Juice wrapped Bianca's legs around his waist before grabbing her hips and thrusting himself into her. The movement elicited a half gasp, half moan from her. She didn't expect Juice to be so animalistic with his movements, but perhaps it was the combination of the professions of love for one another mixed with their sheer attraction. It didn't take long for either of them to begin shuddering; Bianca's fingernails dug into Juice's strong shoulder blades as his teeth scraped along her breasts in a teasing fashion. Her legs trembled against his sides and she released onto him having to let go and fall back onto her elbows on the counter. Juice roughly pulled her hips into his a few more times before gaining his own release and falling forward against her. He trailed his lips up her stomach and chest before kissing her lips softly. "I love you," she muttered against his mouth.

"I love you."


	18. 18

**Hold, hold on, hold onto me,  
'cause I'm a little unsteady.**

 _Bianca rolled onto her back, inhaling deeply, finding that the room was too hot for her liking. The sheets clung to her half naked body and the arm around her emitted too much heat. It tightened around her as she moved as if to beg her not to go. She pushed the arm off anyway then flung the blankets back, sitting up lazily. A hand traveled up her thigh and she smiled in the dark grabbing it and lacing her fingers with his. She shifted a bit, a beam of light from the streetlamp outside allowing her to see their hands intertwined. The ink on his arm was familiar but not from the man she expected. Her breathing became uneven then and his grip on her hand tightened as he pushed himself up and used his other hand to pull her back down into the bed underneath his body._

Her eyes popped open and she turned her head suddenly, her breathing slightly ragged at the thought of her surroundings and the weight around her waist. She felt the arm shift, but when she heard Juice's soft voice, she relaxed a bit. "What's wrong?" he asked sleepily. He must have been a light sleeper, or she must have been louder at waking from the dream than she thought. Once she realized that she was fine and that she was protected in her own room, she was able to calm down fairly quickly.

"Nothing. I'm okay. I'm gonna get a drink. I'll be back." He was reluctant to release his arm from around her, but she turned her head to kiss his cheek and he went limp as if he'd given in to his sleep again. Bianca shrugged into his shirt and her pajama shorts and padded softly into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. Quietly, she shifted through the living room to look out the front window and she saw Gemma swinging in her hammock. Bee let out an almost silent laugh and let herself out into the front yard, crossing the grass and looking at her mother. Gemma looked up at her through tired and glazed eyes. "Couldn't sleep either?"

"No, I thought maybe rocking myself in this thing would help relax me." Gemma slowed the hammock and let Bianca in beside her, taking care to assess her clothing.

"Is it helping?"

"Not really."

"What's wrong?" Bianca took a sip of the wine before passing the glass to Gemma. Her mother then traded the blunt in her hand to her daughter.

 **Mama, come here;  
approach, appear.**

"I was worried about you. You seemed upset this afternoon and you wouldn't answer my calls. Juice said he was coming over, so I didn't. Looks like you two made up after that little spat at TM." Bianca shrugged and took a large toke off of the blunt before handing it back to Gemma and coughing a bit.

"I'm okay," she said, patting her chest.

"You his Old Lady yet?" The young woman turned her head to shoot a questioning look at Gemma, who shrugged. "We've been waiting for it to happen." Bianca laid her head back.

"He called me his Old Lady earlier, so yeah, I guess so." Gemma wrapped her arm around Bianca's shoulders and Bee leaned into her mother. "I don't know what that means."

"You'll learn. I'll teach you. I'm your Mama." Bianca sighed. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me what's on your mind, baby girl." Bianca hesitated a minute before she spoke.

"I just can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. It's just a feeling in my stomach."

"Are you sure you're not just pregnant?" Bianca paused, and then the two of them laughed.

"I'm on the pill now, Ma."

"Okay, okay." Gemma inhaled deeply. "I think it's just in the air. Everything's just settling back down and everyone's trying to adjust again. That's why I wanted the party. We need everyone in a good place again; get everyone back on track."

 **Daddy, I'm alone,  
'cause this house don't feel like home.**

"What in the fucking hell are you two doing out here?" a deep voice asked, causing the two of them to turn their heads toward the way of the street where Clay approached in his gray wifebeater and plaid pajama pants. It was the most normal Bianca had seen him look. He didn't appear as gruff and rough around the edges and surely didn't look like the biggest prick in the world. Okay, she he wasn't, but still.

"Talking," Gemma said, as Clay leaned his hands on the fence. "What are you doing?"

"Wondering where my wife went in the middle of the night."

"I couldn't sleep, so I came to swing in the hammock. Then she couldn't sleep and came out to do the same thing. Like mother like daughter, huh?" Gemma smirked and Clay just looked at the two of them. Bianca offered her wine glass toward him.

"Wine, father?" Bianca asked. Her tone might have been a little condescending, but he didn't comment. He simply shook his head.

"We got us a new Old Lady, Clay," Gemma said, a swell of pride rising in her. Clay's lips twitched, but in the shadows of the night sky, Bianca was unable to tell what emotion he wanted to project.

"We'll take care of that later. I want _my_ Old Lady to come back to bed." Gemma snuffed out the roach of her blunt on her flip flop bottom and stood up from the hammock as gracefully as she could. The movement got a chuckle from Clay and a middle finger from his wife.

"Goodnight, baby. I'll see you later today when we get ready for the party." Bianca nodded. She watched her mother and father retreat to their house and finished her wine before going back into her own house. The wine glass was dropped into the kitchen sink on her way back into the bedroom.

 **If you love me, don't let go.**

Bianca crawled in bed next to Juice, jostling him when she curled up against his bare back and wrapped her arm around his torso. He rested his hand atop of hers. "You're too little to be the big spoon," he said. She shot him a dirty look in the dark.

"Yeah, well your head is too big for you not to be an alien." He grunted a laugh that broke the two of them into a fit of laughter and she pressed tighter against him. "Jerk."

"You just called me an alien."

"I am an awesome big spoon." She rested her chin on his shoulder. "Plus, this way, you're not plagued with an awkward boner and hair in your face."

"Just boobs against my back. They aren't even naked boobs." Bianca scoffed.

"So picky. Beggars can't be choosers, you know." He turned over to face her. "That is not the deal. I'm the big spoon right now."

"Shut up." He kissed her to silence her.


	19. 19

"I think you should wear this; at least until you get set up with your tattoo," Gemma said, lacing a Crow cameo necklace around Bianca's neck to complete her outfit for the evening. It was the night of her arranged 'biker prom' and although the men weren't exactly into the idea, they all knew there would be food, booze, and pussy so not many of them had complained that much. Plus, they didn't have to dress in full suits, like ever, so they weren't full up on protesting.

"It's cute," Bee said, looking at it in the mirror. She looked at the two of them; mother and daughter preparing to leave together to meet their significant others for a date night. It was a strange feeling to say the least. Never in a million years had Bianca ever imagined having such a time. Gemma pressed a kiss to Bianca's head before patting the girl's bare shoulder.

"You ready?"

"Yup," the women set off, opting not to ride on the back of the bikes to hall, but rather to meet the men there in the Caddy. Gemma announced it was just classier for this occasion, plus she didn't want their 'shit' getting caught in the bike. Bianca had agreed with a laugh.

People were going in when the ladies pulled up. It appeared that most of the Sons were there already. Clay and Juice lingered outside with Tig and a perky looking brunette that hung all over the curly haired man. Gemma let out a scoff as she powered off her car. "What?"

"We're probably the only steady women here. I don't recall any of the others having steady women other than Opie and I doubt Donna would let him come along. So it's probably all crow eaters in here." Bianca nodded. "It'll be okay. They're all regulars around the party though. The regulars the guys tend to gravitate toward. They'll behave. It'll be fun."

"Whatever you say," Bianca opened the door and started to get out, and gasped softly when her wrists were taken gently and she was helped upward. She was looking into Juice's smiling face. The conversation behind her between her mother and father was lost in her ears when her boyfriend forced her into a kiss that felt as though he was trying to make up for days he'd spent away from her. In reality, it'd only been hours.

"Hey!" Gemma slapped the top of the car, breaking them apart. "Gonna skip the party, or what?" Bianca laughed and Juice shook his head.

"Sorry. She just looks so good." Bee stepped out of the way and he shut the car door.

"I know that, but you don't have to attack her so soon. Save that shit for later. She's got to make a small appearance, ya know." Gemma held Clay's arm and led the four of them into the hall where the party had begun without them. It wasn't rowdy just yet, which was a good thing.

Bianca looked around as Juice helped her shrug out of the leather jacket she'd worn for later. The place was elegantly decorated with white lights. The music was loud, but not unbearable. The bartender was hired and looked perfectly comfortable receiving orders from the bikers huddled at the bar. Despite having to dress nicely, most of them wore nicer jeans and some kind of solid button down shirt with their kutte in place over it. Juice was included, but he was peculiar enough to put a black tie onto the entire black ensemble which made Bianca smile. "What?" he asked, when he noticed her looking at him. She shook her head.

"Nothing."

"Juicy, boy!" Chibs shouted, coming between the two of them. He unlaced his arm from around his date to give a hug to his brother and then turned toward Bianca to embrace her. "Bianca, love. Beautiful, girl."

"Hi," Bianca said with a slight laugh.

"Get a drink!" Chibs held up his own drink and waved toward the bar. "We're dryin' up o'here!"

"Holy shit, look at the old man!" Juice said, interrupting them. They turned to look at Piney cutting loose on the dance floor with a young red head. Deacon and his date were beside them, not dancing, but rather standing and watching while laughing and cheering the man on. Bianca laughed and then turned her head, catching eyes with Gemma who was genuinely smiling. This was a good day for the Sons of Anarchy. This was a day surrounded by family with no care in the world and just living carefree. There should have been more days like this, but Bianca knew there wasn't enough days like this. Having been building up to where she was with Juice and Gemma, she's learned as much.

"The party can begin now!" Jackson announced, walking in with his latest squeeze on his arm. He got a bunch of greeting cheers.

"The old man is carrying the party, what are you talkin' about?" Tig said, motioning to Piney. Jackson looked the way of the dance floor then laughed.

"Jesus. Someone turn on a slow song so he can take a breather." Bianca pulled Juice to the bar, hip bumping Jackson as she went. He looked down at her then turned sideways to hug her, pulling her up off the ground as he did.

"How's it goin' sis?"

"Good." Jax set her back on her feet. "Let's get a round, huh?" She looked between Jackson and Juice, both of whom agreed.

A few rounds and several loud bouts of conversation later, Bianca felt more relaxed and the room was louder. The music pulsed more and people chattered about. Dishes clanked against each other as everyone ate and plates were cleared from the tables. Some of the girls were forced to take to the dance floor with each other because the men weren't quite as brave as Piney had been. Bee took her legs from across Juice's lap and set her feet back on the floor. "Dance with me," she said.

"Huh?"

"Are you going to chicken out like the rest of these guys? It's a slow song. It's not a fast one. No weird running man required." That got a chuckle from both Jackson and Clay whom she hadn't known was latched onto the conversation. Juice's eyes flicked their way, but then rested on her again. "You'll regret telling me no."

"Uh oh," Jax said. Juice sighed and stood up.

"Alright. Jeez. You're so mean to me." He smiled and walked hand in hand with her to the dance floor. Bianca wrapped her arms around Juice's neck and his arms went around her waist to pull her close. "I don't know what you wear but it smells fucking good." He rested his mouth and nose against her neck for a moment.

"You're so buzzed right now," she said with a smile.

"Just a little. I can take it." He smiled and she held his face in her hands.

"I love you. You're so damn cute."

"I thought I was an alien."

"Apparently, I'm into interspecies relationships." The two of them giggled like teenagers as they swayed and Bianca rested her head against Juice's chest after relocating her arms around his waist. "I wish things were always this calm." She said a minute later.

"It honestly goes by the flip of a coin, babe."

"I know." She thought about what her mother had told her earlier that day as her eyes momentarily caught sight of her family at their table. Gemma leaned into Clay as they shared a quiet conversation and smiled at each other. Jackson spoke with Bobby over the head of his date. _You love the man. You learn to love the club._ So far, it didn't really seem to be a problem. The only one that really put her at odds with everything was Clay, but he hadn't really done anything to drive a wedge between her and anyone else.

His fingertips massaged the bare skin of her shoulder blades as a few of the other men followed their lead and stopped being such party poopers. They danced with their women (most likely just to justify getting laid multiple times that night), and Bianca raised her head from Juice's chest when Gemma and Clay actually came onto the floor. She let out a chuckle and looked up at Juice.

"They just wanna copy the cool kids," he said. She kissed him softly, and then he spun her out and back into him causing her to laugh at him. A few minutes of harmonious movement and Clay tapped on Juice's shoulder.

"Can I cut in?" Juice stepped back and let go of Bianca.

"Of course," Juice said, nodding at Bianca. Bee looked up at Clay, taking the classic dancing stance with him and watching Juice dance away with Gemma. The blond was silent as she was forced to dance with the man that basically said that he didn't want her around and never did. It made her uncomfortable to be in his presence alone; to be one on one with him. She was unsure what to say to him, if anything. Was there even anything else to say to him?

"Decent party, eh?" he asked.

"Yeah. Gemma did a great job getting it all together. Parties are her thing. She should be an even planner in her spare time." Clay did a bit of considering but then he nodded.

"So, you're an Old Lady now." It was more of a statement than it was a question.

"According to Juice, yeah."

"How nice for you. You must have great pussy. Or give great head." Bianca started to pull away from him then, but he held onto her. "Gonna run away now?"

"I don't think I should be forced to stand here and listen to you talk that way to me. I didn't do anything to you and I sure as hell don't deserve that shit. Juice and I are together. Deal with it, old man." She pulled away from him. "Or kill me. That's the only fucking way you're gonna force me out of Charming." Bianca stomped away from Clay and the dance floor heading for the door of the hall. She needed the fresh air. She needed to clear her mind for a second. How dare he speak to her that way! Was he really that hell bent on getting her out of Charming? Was he really that scorned by her showing up and causing such a rift in his life? She'd be lying if she said it didn't hurt.

She shoved the door open and walked out, pulling off her shoes and stomping across the sand that lined the parkway in front of the hall. Her feet stopped short as she rounded the corner and leaned against the building. It was beyond stopping, the tears. She'd been strong this long, but he'd struck her too deep tonight. Perhaps it was her deeply rooted daddy issues causing the surge of emotion to rock her forward and sob. It was only a minute before Juice came around the corner. She spotted him and sniffled, forcing herself to stop and wipe her face.

"Jesus, baby. What happened?" he asked.

"Nothing. Can we get out of here? Please?" He nodded.

"Sure."

"My jacket is inside."

"I'll go grab it. Be right back." Juice turned to head back inside. Bianca stood up straight and inhaled deeply. She started to step forward and go back around the building, but was caught around the waist. A hand covered her mouth and she fought against the pressure.

"You're gonna come with us or we're gonna shoot up all the fuckers inside." An electronic was thrust in her face showing a camera view of the party and a gang of shooters outside one of the doors waiting for command. Bianca stopped fighting and nodded. She was dragged backward and hoisted into an awaiting van. Her hands were forced out in front of her once she was sat down on one of the makeshift benches inside. The back doors slammed shut and the van lurched forward, no doubt at an attempt to high tail it out of there.

"How do I know you're not shooting up the place anyway?" she asked as a zip tie was squeezed tight around her wrists. The white man chuckled at her.

"You don't."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Wasn't the order," the driver said. Her intuition had been right. Something bad was going to happen, but if these guys were planning on using her for leverage against the MC it was going to be based on a coin flip – to quote Juice.


	20. 20

Bianca crossed her legs at the knee, realizing that she'd dropped her shoes in the struggle. Juice would realize that she didn't just take off immediately and the biker prom would be ruined in a heartbeat – if it wasn't already. Gemma was probably already telling Clay off for making Bianca upset. She sighed and lifted her eyes to look at the man across from her. He was dragging his eyes along her legs and that caused her to roll hers and look toward the back windows. These men were white men, so it confused the idea that they may have been part of the Mayan crew. Were they part of the Nords crew? She turned her head again to look at the man across from her and he smirked at her, but his dark hoodie and pants disallowed her to connect any one crew to him.

"You know," she started, "if you're trying to use me for ransom or leverage against the Sons of Anarchy, you grabbed the wrong girl. They're not gonna do anything to get me back." The man across from her stared at her blankly for a moment.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"I seem to recall your old man and your brother pointing guns at my brother a couple of months or so ago." Bianca's brow furrowed. It clicked after a minute.

"Wait. Your brother? I broke his nose because he grabbed me and it triggered my defenses. It's not my fault he doesn't know how to keep his hands to himself. Is that what all of this is about? I thought that score got settled when he tried to shoot me up."

"That score got settled when his body got dumped on my goddamn doorstep." She shuddered. She hadn't known all of the details of any retaliation. Speaking in the first place had slowly angered the man as the conversation had went on, so she thought about stopping, but curiosity got the better of her. "This ain't for that. I've been compensated for my loss anyway." He shot a look toward the front of the van.

"Then what's it for?"

"Shut up." She shrugged and looked at the zip ties around her wrists, shaking her head. After a minute, she raised her clasped wrists up and moved the ties with her teeth. "Stop! What are you doing?"

"Can I just show you something? You know, for future kidnapping ventures?"

"We're pulling up now," the driver said into his phone at a quiet tone. Bianca felt a shift in the speed of the van as she pulled on the loose ends of the ties with her teeth and stood up in the van. It put the man across from her on edge.

"Sit down," he barked.

"Look, I'm just trying to help you be a better criminal for later." She brought her arms back, slamming the tied heels of her hands against her stomach and breaking the ties. It momentarily stunned the man watching her and she smiled. "Just sayin'." The van pulled to a stop and she punched the man in the throat, causing him to fall into the floor of the van choking and clutching at his neck. The driver turned his head quickly to assess the commotion and cussed before climbing over the seat and grabbing hold of her. The two of them struggled against each other and nearly fell on the choking man as the driver tried to get her out of the back of the van.

The doors finally opened and she was practically thrown out. Bianca landed on her feet in more sandy turf and felt hands grip her upper arms to steady her. "Little bitch," the driver said as he hopped down.

"I thought I told you not to put your hands on her," another voice said. Bianca's head whipped to the left and she saw Esai standing there.

"Hey! It's not my fault. She attacked Brad and I had to get hold of her before she did something else stupid. Just give me the money so I can get the fuck out of here." Esai smiled then looked toward Bianca. His Mayan brother let go of her as he stepped forward. Esai ran his hands down her bare arms, then he lifted her chin with his finger.

"Are you okay?" All she could do through her surprise was hold up her hands and show her wrists where she'd been bound. Esai bit the inside of his lower lip, and looked to the other two Mayans standing with him. He nodded and two shots were fired. Bianca jumped, but didn't dare look back. She knew what she had just done. She'd just killed the two Nords without using her own hand. "Come on baby, let's get you inside." He put his arm around her shoulders and led her toward a rickety shack that sat next to a pond in the middle of a wooded area.

One thing was clearly abundant: the Sons had most certainly _not_ killed Esai. However, he was not wearing his kutte, so what did that mean?

"What am I doing here?" she asked once Esai closed the door behind the two of them. The other two Mayans stayed outside to keep watch.

"Is that a serious question?" He rummaged through the closet toward the back of the wide room.

"Uh, yeah. You had me kidnapped. I hardly see how this is just you trying to get me to come be with you and ride off into the sun. It's been a whole month since I've heard from you."

"Did you think I was dead?" He handed her a shirt. She looked at it, but didn't take it.

"I'd hoped as much." Esai tilted his head.

"Why?"

"Is that a serious question?" There was something about his eyes that were different; not the way he looked at her, but in their general appearance. It took her a moment, but then she was able to figure it out. He was high. Considering his business with the Nords, she could guess on what. She was privy enough to their doings thanks to Juice trusting her enough to tell her a little about each gang. "Are you high?"

"Put this on."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because I don't want to look at that Samcro shit."

"Dude, it's a dress."

"You've got Samcro written all over you." He pulled the necklace from around her neck with a hard yank and against her better judgment, she shoved him.

"Give it back." He looked closely at it.

"You an Old Lady?" She didn't answer him and that seemed to fuel his anger. He dropped the necklace and pulled at her dress furiously. Bianca shoved his hands away, but in the end, she was standing there in her underwear while he turned her body one way or the other. He was _looking_ for something. How did he know what Samcro Old Ladies got once they reached that status? "No ink yet."

"What is it you want from Samcro? Why do you think having me is going to get you what you want? Clay doesn't want me around. He'll kill me himself once he figures out a clean way to do it."

"You are exactly what I need to get what I want. They're going to fight for you. They won't let me kill you. They'll give me what I want."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I know more than you do." He shoved the shirt at her. "Put this on or I'm gonna do things to you." Esai bypassed her and went to the small fridge in the room.

"Why aren't you wearing your kutte?" she asked, pulling his shirt on. He stood up and popped open the beer he pulled from the fridge. "Did you get thrown out of your MC?" Esai scoffed and crossed the room to close the space between them.

"You don't know shit about MCs, Bianca."

"That may be so, but I know a shit load about you. And, getting excommunicated from your MC because of your psychotic behavior is exactly something you'd do. Not even your daddy would bat an eyelash at that shit." Esai's lips curled into a strange sort of grimace after he took a swig from the beer bottle. He looked down at Bianca who looked up at him through narrowed eyes. She was scared, he could tell, but she wasn't going to back down. She would go down with a fight. He knew that.

"You call me psychotic one more time," he grabbed her by the back of the neck, "and I'll show you what it means." He kissed her hard and she bit down on his lip. Esai pulled back and touched his mouth, pulling back his finger and looking at the blood. "I think you got a bit of loco in there too," he said with a chuckle. He turned and dropped himself on the pull out sofa. "We gotta make a phone call, yeah?"


	21. 21

_**Well, I know there can come fire from the sky  
to refine the purest of kings…**_

"There's only one of two ways she could have gone," Jackson said, standing in the middle of the street. The party was definitely over. Juice had found Bianca's shoes and signs of a struggle in the sand and went back inside the hall to report his findings – only, he hadn't gone to Clay. He'd gone to Jackson who'd then gone to Clay. That sparked an argument between Gemma and Clay because the woman questioned what was said between the younger girl and the man and why Bianca had gone outside in the first place. Chaos started between the family before Juice broke it up and stressed their need to just go look for her at the moment and worry about the other shit later. That prompted the Sons to exit the hall and go outside for him to show them what he saw and then for them to discover the tire treads that led them to the road where they were currently standing.

"We'll break in half to search," Clay said, just before his phone started ringing. He pulled it from his pant pocket and looked at the screen, his brow furrowing when he didn't recognize the number. He flipped the phone open and spoke gruffly into it. "Yeah?"

"Clay," Bianca said. He tensed up, causing the men watching him to tense up.

"Where are you?"

"I don't know, I…"

"She won't tell you that," another voice took over and Clay bit down on his lip.

"What do you want?"

"I'm glad you asked **,** esé. What I want is two dozen of those guns I know you've been running, and 200k." Clay inhaled deeply. Jackson stepped closer with an inquisitive look on his face as Gemma's hands fell to her hips.

"Can we swim in that lake?" Clay heard Bianca ask in the background. It was a stupid thing to say, but he knew it was her dropping a clue to him. He had no idea what kind of punishment she'd get for that, but she was awfully brave for risking it. The man on the phone gave pause and then his voice changed to a harsher tone.

"You've got two days to get it together. I'll try to keep your princess alive until then. I'll call you back with the drop details."

"Let me talk to her again. Show of good faith and all." It was a few seconds before she was put back on.

"Clay?" she asked.

"We'll get you out of this sweetie."

"I'll kill him in the end," was all she said before the line was cut off. Clay snapped the phone shut. His MC and his Old Lady looked at him with anticipation.

"The Mexican's got her." He got a chorus of questions and curses. "He gave me two days to get two dozen guns and 200k together or he'll kill her."

"He's gone off the fuckin' deep end. I knew we should have killed him. Goddamn it!" Jax said. "How the hell are we supposed to pull that together that fast?"

"Jesus Christ," Gemma huffed. Clay looked at her.

"This is why I said what I said to her. All those hurtful things. _This_ is why, for _this_ very reason. It was never about not genuinely wanting her around. She's my goddamn blood. It was about something like this happening and having my heart ripped out by failing my daughter." They all looked at him. Did their President just go soft for a moment? "I tried to run her out of here, but she's as stubborn as her fucking mother." Gemma just looked at him.

"We're gonna get our baby back," she said assuredly.

 ** _And even though  
I know this fire brings me pain…_ **

"Why do you do that shit?" Esai asked, putting his phone back in his pocket and standing up. Bianca looked up at him as he paced the room.

"Do what?"

"Purposely piss me off?"

"Oh, when I said I'd kill you in the end?" Esai turned and looked at her. "I will. I was just telling him."

"You couldn't kill me if you wanted to. There's not a murderous bone in your body."

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Have you ever actually killed anyone or have you always just had one of your boys do it for you while you stood back and supervised?" He chuckled and shook his head. "Thought so. Coward."

"I'm a coward?" Anger flashed in his dilated eyes and he came back toward her again.

"Yes." He pulled his gun on her then, but she didn't flinch. Esai pushed the barrel of it against her left temple and she leaned into it. "Go ahead. Prove me wrong." After what seemed like a lifetime a consideration, he lowered the weapon.

"I'm not done with you yet," he said casually.

"Right. Gotta keep the princess alive for two days."

"Just long enough to get them here then I'll kill you and them, but that's not what I was talking about."

 ** _Even so, and just the same,  
Make it rain, make it rain down, Lord._**

 ****~~A/N~~** TRIGGER WARNING – RAPE**

He set his gun down on a nearby table and she watched him carefully. It was interesting to her that he would do that, knowing her tendency to fight before flight. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," he said, closing the space between them again.

"Um…do what?" Esai pulled the clip out of her hair and tossed it over his shoulder before running his fingers through her tresses. Bianca eyed him with wide eyes.

"No, Esai."

"The hard way then?"

"No way, please."

"Lay down, mami." She shook her head and he bit the inside of his lip before his jaw muscles clenched together. "Do what I say or you'll just make it worse."

"You don't actually want to hurt me, do you?"

"I will if it comes to that. You're not giving me a choice anymore. Now do what I say." Slowly, Bianca shrank into herself and sat down on the edge of the fold out sofa. Esai shrugged out of his hoodie and stood above her, waiting for her to submit completely to him. She hesitated, but the blood running through her veins would never let her do it. Perhaps as a kid she'd been forced to, but she'd never do it as an adult. She bolted up and past the man, going for the table where he laid his gun (had that been a test?), but he caught her and slammed her down on the sofa bed on her belly.

"Stop, stop, stop! I'm sorry!"

"Stupid puta," Esai growled, pinning her hands against her lower back and doing his best to work her underwear down her legs with one hand. Bianca actually cried at the pain she felt in her arms and the air constriction she felt by having to keep turning her head from side to side to breathe. Esai's weight on top on her didn't help the matter. He got himself out of his jeans and pulled her hips upward, forcing his knee between her thighs and rendering her feet and legs useless for fighting. Bianca just whined and cried as he forced himself into her roughly. It didn't go on for very long, thank God, but it was the fact that he'd done it in the first place. He knew too much about her and this was the last thing she thought he'd ever do to her.

He'd broken her, and he knew it.

When he was finished, he let her go and got off of her. She'd quieted down by then, lying stoically against the flat pillows. Esai shed his shirt and his jeans completely and climbed back into the bed after turning off the lights. He pulled Bianca close to him, forcing her to roll onto her side so that her back was against his chest. "Let's hope tomorrow is a better day, yeah?"


	22. 22

**LAST NIGHT**

Gemma stood in her kitchen, unable to sleep. Her brain was too noisy to allow her to relax. Clay was having the same problem and the two of them passed each other several times within the house. He hadn't even dressed down to his house clothes. He was still in his clothes from the dance. The two of them came together in the barrier between the kitchen and dining room to look out the same window at Bianca's house. A light was on in her living room.

"He'll never sleep. He'll be useless to you later," Gemma said. Clay sighed.

"I know." His blue eyes met her hazel ones. "I'll go talk to him." They shared a soft kiss, but there was reserve behind it on Gemma's side. No doubt she was still upset with him for everything she'd learned he'd been saying to Bianca – even if he thought running her out of Charming was for her own good.

Clay walked across the street and through Bianca's gate and yard before knocking on the front screen door. After a second, Juice answered it with his gun in his hand. The President looked at the weapon, but then Juice holstered it and let the man in and went back to sitting on the couch with his computer in his lap. "What are you doin', kid?"

"I think I found the general area where she may be. I just haven't been able to hone in on a house or something where he might be keeping her. I found a lake near where the hall is." Clay sat down beside Juice on the couch to look at the computer while Juice showed him everything he'd found. Clay had shared Bianca mentioning the lake and that was all it took. He knew one of the guys would figure it out. "I'm scanning satellite maps to see if I can get a picture of a house."

"Great job," Clay said, "but you need to sleep a little. I need every one half alert at best."

"You're still awake." Juice pointed out.

"There was a light on over here." Juice nodded.

"I couldn't decide whether to research or pack up some of her stuff."

"Pack up her stuff?" Clay looked bewildered. "She's coming out of this alive."

"Yeah, but when she does should she really stay in Charming?" Juice closed the computer and looked toward Clay. "Maybe you were right to try to drive her back out. I can't protect her, obviously. She shouldn't be here." With a sigh, Clay shook his head.

"You know, I told that poor girl that I never wanted kids. I told her that didn't want her now." He scratched his head. "It's not true. I've always thought about what it would have been like to have my own kid. I just never thought I'd see so much of myself or Gemma in one person before and there she was, staring me in the face, giving me every bit of attitude that her mother gives me. I would have never wanted this for her, that's why I wanted to scare her out of here." Juice nodded.

"She's too stubborn for that."

"Tell me about it. Tell her she can't and she'll do it anyway. I've picked up on that. One thing is for sure though, son. She makes you a better person." That caught the younger man off guard. "Not that you're a shitty person to begin with, but there's a change in you. You're more focused. You have a sense of purpose that you didn't seem to realize you had before."

"Club one, Old Lady two. I've got everything now." Juice sighed. "Or do I?"

"She's not going anywhere. You can try to run her out of here all you want. She won't go." The two of them were silent for a minute. "Get a few hours of sleep. We've got a lot of shit to do tomorrow." Clay pushed himself off the couch.

* * *

 **PRESENT**

Bianca woke to a stick in her arm. Her eyes fluttered open and she tensed up. "Don't move. I'll blow the vein," Esai said, pushing the syringe forward and forcing something into her arm.

"What is that?!" she asked in panicked tone.

"I want you to take a high with me," he smiled and pulled the needle from her arm. He loosened the tourniquet. She cranked her other arm back and swung it forward, giving him a strong, sideways blow to his face. "What the fuck?!"

"You just shot me up with Meth?! I take medications! You probably just killed me!" She sat up and rocked back and forth on the bed, hugging herself. Esai rubbed the side of his head, then laughed.

"We'll know in a minute." Bianca felt tears slip down her cheeks.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me." She rubbed the spot where the needle had been, as if she could rub the drug back out of her arm. "Fuck, I would rather be dead than be here another minute with you." Esai sat across from her on the sofa bed.

"Don't be so dramatic." She lunged at him then, knocking him onto the floor and falling on top of him. She was able to get a punch or two in before he rolled them over and pinned her hands down. Before he could say anything, the roar of motorcycles interrupted him and the front door of the shack opened.

"Sons!" his bald Mayan brother shouted. Esai jumped up and pulled Bianca to her feet, but she slumped a bit, suddenly feeling different as the drugs took their course in her bloodstream.

"Get up," Esai hissed. Bianca started to twitch and it turned into convulsions and he didn't have a choice but to lay her back down on the sofa bed and get gone for his own escape. He left her there, seizing as the drugs interacted with the medication already in her system. Gunfire sprayed outside of the rundown lake house and Juice managed to get inside. It had been him that found the one and only lot on the lake. He had never gone to sleep. He'd found the satellite image and the Sons were all rounded up and they rode out with the intent to kill on their mind.

"Clay!" Juice shouted. The gunfire seized and Juice went to Bianca's side, gently rolling her onto her side until her body stopped jerking. Clay and Jackson broke into the house, guns in hands. "We gotta get her outta here, now."

"In the van. Find Alvarez. Don't kill him." Clay said.

"What?!" Juice and Jax exclaimed in unison.

"He's not ours to kill."


	23. 23

**It'll be a long time coming,  
but you got the message now.**

Her feet crunched the gravel as she crossed the space between the van and the warehouse. It'd been a week since she'd been outside. It was miraculous that it'd only taken a week to recover, but there hadn't been much physical damage done. Tara was tasked with keeping a close eye on Bianca while she'd been in the hospital and Chief Unser himself kept after the girl once Clay brought him into the mix. There wasn't much talk about Esai other than Jax reassuring Bianca that he was where he was supposed to be and that she'd have her chance for revenge. Of course, this was still when she was unresponsive. Once she was awake and alert, no one thought to mention it to her until she asked Juice about it and he had to break it as gently to her as he could without upsetting her. Had she really wanted to kill Esai herself? She hadn't decided. The answer was yes, but _could_ she? She'd been put to the test a few times, but had never actually been within considerable reach of actually doing so.

Today was that day.

Juice slipped his arm around her shoulders as they walked into the dim warehouse. Bianca blinked at the change in light and looked around. They were trusting her enough to allow her to be privy to this information? There were crates stacked around and one was popped open and full of guns. There were also large sacks of birdseed covering some of the crates. The bags read "Blue Bird" on them. She only glanced at it, but she wasn't stupid. She'd already picked up on the gun running by what Esai had demanded of her family in exchange for her.

Her eyes found Esai bound to a chair in the middle of the stacked madness as the Sons filed in and barred the door shut. This was the perfect place for a murder. The warehouse was out in the woods, secluded and on top of a hill just inside of Charming lines. His head hanged, but he was alive. She could tell because once he sensed movement, he raised his head to look around. He saw the Sons first and scoffed before he smirked. "Just kill me already. Stupid gringos," he said to Clay.

"Did you think your daddy was gonna come rescue you?" Clay asked, standing in front of the beaten man. Esai didn't answer. "He gave us to you. Pretty bad when a man gives up his son for the slaughter, huh?" Clay turned his eyes to Bianca, who just watched. Esai's head slowly turned and he rested his half closed eyes on her. "You're up sweetheart."

"It'll be okay," Juice said softly, kissing her head and releasing her. Chibs stepped forward. Bianca felt numb during the whole exchange. She'd felt this way ever since Esai had completely broken her. She relived each moment every second she was coherent and no matter how hard she tried to shut it off, the reel just kept playing. No matter how much she wanted to kill him for what he had done to her, she wasn't sure she could.

She was scared.

"Here, love," Chibs said, stepping forward with his hand extended. He pressed her own weapon into her hand. The weight of it felt foreign for a moment, but then it was familiar – as if it were made for her hand. He stepped back with Juice, and Clay joined them. Bianca raised her head to look around the open space. Her eyes landed on each Son: Jackson and Deacon smoking their cigarettes and watching her, Bobby and Tig moved to stand with Clay and murmur about something she didn't quite hear. Juice stood with Happy and Chibs. Esai was in the middle of it all. She inhaled and stepped forward coming to a halt in front of him.

"You must be fucking immortal, chica." He let out a lazy laugh and shook his head.

"No, you're just fucking stupid. I told you that you couldn't kill anyone." He eyed the gun in her hand.

"But you can, right? That's what you're here to do? Kill me?" She didn't answer, just looked at him. "Go on then. Do it." Her eyes left his face as it seemed to mock her as she stood there. They found the tattoo of her name on his arm and she bit down on her lip. The sight of that alone was enough to flip a switch inside of her brain and suddenly she was a different person – one she didn't know she could ever be.

She found Happy standing nearest to them and marched toward him, pulling his knife from his belt and catching him off guard. "Can I borrow this?" She was walking away before he could answer, but she doubted at this point anyone would begrudge her anything. She was in front of Esai again and he looked at the knife. "You're not going to your grave with my name on your body." Bee brought the sharp blade down on his forearm and as a reflex, he fought against the binds. He didn't scream at first, just huffed and grunted, but once she cut deeply enough to whip back the flesh he had no choice but to cry out and start cussing her in Spanish.

"Shit," she heard Tig say from somewhere in the room. She was unsure if he had moved closer to watch was she was doing. Esai's arm was free of her name and she set Happy's knife on a nearby crate before backing up and standing in front of her prisoner again.

"Now, apologize to me and I'll make it quick," she said.

"Fuck you," he said. She shot him in the foot. He rocked against the chair. "Why?! I only fucking loved you, Bianca!"

"You consider stalking, beating, raping, drugging, and nearly killing someone to be loving them, Esai? That's all you've done to me," she said calmly. Her insides were screaming. She had no idea who she was at the moment and she dare not look up at any of the Sons. She'd never finish this if she did. It was amazing that she hadn't chickened out at this point. Any emotion she'd had for the man in front of her was gone, that much was proven.

"I had to keep you."

"You should have left me alone."

"I couldn't. I knew who you were." Bianca paused.

"What?"

"When were started dating and you told me about your foster dad…shit!" he writhed in pain and she put the barrel of her pistol under his chin to encourage him to keep talking, "I linked up with him, but I already knew who he was because he was a Mayan associate. We ran your DNA in the system and of course there was a hit. How could there not have been?" Bianca could finally look the way of her father, whose brows were furrowed as he listened. "Bianca Shea Teller-Morrow. Locked down for closed adoption then completely locked down by authority of the FBI. Thanks to me and my high place friends." He looked pleased with himself even though he was in so much pain.

"Why would you do that?"

 **'Cause I was never going…  
Yeah, you're the one that's going down.**

"Why wouldn't I do that? Why wouldn't I lock that shit down and come back for you once I found out that you're the daughter of the MC Pres in Charming?" He nodded once. "I knew you'd come looking for your mom. You talked about as much." Bianca lowered the gun for a moment, perplexed by the whole conversation.

"What had you hoped to gain? The same thing you hoped to gain before? Or an alliance? What? I don't get it."

"It doesn't matter now."

"Tell me."

"Eventually, we would have killed all of you." She shot him in the knee, causing an 'oooooooh' from Chibs.

"That's Mafioso shite!" he shouted with glee. Bianca leaned closer to Esai so that her face was even with his once he stopped reacting to his pain. It was several minutes before that happened.

"No one is going to hurt my family. Ever. Not you. Not your papi. Not your bunk ass MC. No one." She spit in his face. "You don't understand family, Esai." Bee sighed. "I'm tired of messing with you now." She raised her gun to be level with his head.

"You're gonna burn in hell for this, mami," he hissed through his teeth. She shrugged.

"We're all _only ashes_ in the end." She pulled the trigger and the warehouse was silent after that.


	24. 24: EPILOGUE

**Just another kid that can't let it go.  
Just another story for the books.**

Juice pulled into Bianca's driveway and parked his bike. She hadn't answered his texts or calls all day, but she had said she'd be busy today. It was her first day back at work, so he gave her some slack. He just wanted to make sure she was doing okay. What she'd done two weeks ago hadn't been easy for her, he knew. It may have looked easy for her, but he had been there before and after the incident. She was a mess. Killing Esai should have been on them, not her. But, she'd done it. She'd proved that she could take care of business and in a weird twisted way, it made Clay proud. He was actually loving the idea of having her around now. Things were still rocky between him and Gemma because she was still pissed that he had treated Bianca so badly in the first place and put her through the trauma of having to do away with Esai – even if Bee had said she'd wanted to kill him. Gemma and Bianca's relationship wasn't the same as it used to be. Generally speaking, Bianca had pulled away from everyone, including Juice and he hated it, but he tried to understand that it was her way of coping. He hoped it was just that and nothing more.

He let himself into her house with his copy of her key, pausing just as he crossed through the front door. The television was on some cooking show, but she wasn't in the living room to watch it. "Baby?" he called. She didn't answer, so he moved through the house after closing the door behind himself. There was an open bottle of wine on the island counter and as he passed it, he had to do a double take. Bianca sat on the floor in her pajamas, her back against the counter. She had her pistol lying next to her leg and beside a razor blade that he guessed she broke from her razor in the bathroom. Beside her other leg was her glass of wine and her bottles of medication. The scene broke his heart and put his defenses on high simultaneously. "Babe?" She looked up at him through teary eyes and sniffled. She breathed out and looked back down, focusing on her toes. "What's going on?" He sat down across from her.

"My brain is too loud. I just want it to be quiet." Juice nodded. "What have I done?" She started to sob.

"Nothing that you shouldn't have done."

"I killed someone, Juice."

"He deserved it. He hurt you. He beat you. He _raped_ you. He would have _killed_ you." Juice's muscles tightened. "I should have killed him, not you. You shouldn't have had to do that. None of that should have happened to you. I'm so sorry Bianca. It's my fault. I couldn't protect you." She just watched him struggle with himself before she pushed the glass toward him with her pointer finger. He took it and drank its entire contents. "I know what you mean, though. About your head being too loud. At least a little. My head gets like that sometimes."

"What do you do?"

"I used to wind up in a drunken stupor and balls deep in…" he paused, "well, now I just come see you. You make everything better." She shook her head. "You do." Juice moved over her legs, straddling her lap, but not putting all of his weight down as he looked at her. "You care so much. You killed for your family. You fought for yourself. You're smart. You're beautiful. You're funny…most of the time. I mean, the alien thing? Come on." She laughed through her tears. He kissed her softly. "If this is what you want, pick one. I'll go with you," he looked around at her choices.

"What?" she looked confused.

"I'll go with you. You can't leave me here alone. I'd never survive without you, so if you go, I've got to go too." She shook her head and sniffled.

"Juice…"

"Or, we can get out of here for a while. We'll leave Charming. We'll get out of our heads. If we decide not to come back, then we won't. Whatever you want." She looked at him inquisitively. "I love you. I only want what's best for you, Bee."

He backed off of her and sat back down on the tile floor off to her side, pulling his knees up slightly and wrapping his arms around them. Bianca looked at each suicidal method she'd collected and contemplated, then she looked at Juice's handsome face. He genuinely loved her. She knew he did, just by his words. She didn't really want this. He felt her eyes on him and turned his head to look at her. "Outerspace?"

"Outta Charming."

"You got it, babe."

 **END**

* * *

 ***~~A/N~~*** \- Okay, so! There will most likely be a sequel. We all know Juice won't go Nomad and hell, Bianca probably will never let that happen anyway. She's all screwed up right now though, so who knows what's in store for her! Just keep a look out. It probably won't be long before I upload something.


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